RWBY: The Grimm Retribution
by Jdbl00d
Summary: Days have passed since the Breach in Vale, and restoration of the city goes smoothly. However, dark forces even now seek to usurp the peace and tranquillity of the kingdom. As an old nightmare returns to threaten Vale, Team RWBY must face not just it, but other dark secrets in the kingdom's past.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

The light flickered as they stalked the corridor, as if desperately hanging onto its existence that was now endangered due to deplorable conditions, overloaded and damaged circuitry and who knew how long of much neglected servicing. The air was musty and rank, a sickly thick odour that seemed to constrict one's windpipe with every breath. The cleanliness of the place seemed to compliment that well, with dirt and grime and puddles of supposedly sewage water covering certain sections of the tiled floor.

However, some things could not really be seen, touched or smelled. It was just a gut feeling that one would have inside, something gnawing away within the darkest recess of one's mind. It wasn't the God-awful stench that made this place unbecoming. It wasn't the poorly maintained lighting or equipment and neither was it the place's low overall rating in personal hygiene.

What made it unbecoming was the cold sensation of death that hung over every inch of the place like a damned cloak. To say it reeked of it was an understatement. The place was practically swimming in it. It felt deeper than an ocean and thicker than oil. She swore that she could hear screaming from somewhere. Was it her imagination or was it real screaming? That, she didn't really know.

Neither did she care.

Emerald took a step right over a small puddle of water, not bothering to take in the shabby surroundings. She had a job to do right now and she was going to do it. Cinder had explicitly said that they could not allow such compromise. Her mind recalled the small conversation they had just a day before.

"Won't we arouse some suspicions?" Emerald asked Cinder. "Even if we managed to hide our affiliations with the White Fang and that self-indulgent numbskull it doesn't mean we can't be found ushering in trouble every once in a while."

"You can relax." Cinder responded. "Right now, the Vale council is doing damage control since that latest mishap and their resources are strained. Almost every student in the halls of Beacon is dedicating whatever time they have to the relief efforts and they barely have enough to do routine security over the nearby villages. Your assignment just so happens to fall within such, _dire_ necessities."

Emerald raised an eyebrow, her lips forming a small smile. "Meaning we can do whatever and no one will be asking?"

"Rest assured, our current positions won't be exposed." Cinder turned, a devilish smile crossing her features.

Mercury folded his arms as he lay on the floor. "Hmm, you seem awfully chipper about this."

Cinder smirked. "Why not? It's not very often you get wind of something this interesting. It'd be a good test to see how well others react toward this, particularly those children we seem to have so many issues with."

And so now here she was, skulking down the corridors that seemed to have ascended out of some demented horror novel. However, what really complicated things was…

"Ugh. This place smells." Mercury complained from behind. "Why do we always get stuck with jobs like this?" This was the eighth complaint that he had uttered since they got here. If he was trying to get her to crack, Emerald would show him he still needed much practice.

"Mercury." Emerald said, slowly turning around. "Shut up. I have enough problems to think about without you being added to the mix."

"Aww come on." Mercury whined, catching up to her. "I'd bet it'd be a shame to get that lovely outfit dirty. I just splashed some gunk on myself just now."

"Then you have yourself to blame for that." Emerald huffed as she continued walking. Mercury's eyes narrowed before his lips broke into a smile.

"So, scared?" He taunted her. At this, Emerald turned, a glare crossing her face.

"What?" She growled, hands folding across her chest.

"Gives you the creeps doesn't it, this place?" Mercury said, still teasing her. "After all, who isn't scared of a place that just crawls with the stench of the dead?" As if to emphasize his point, his eyes darted to a wall just to his right. Emerald's eyes followed them to end up on a small splatter of red upon the concrete surface. Emerald merely shot him an uninterested look, turning on her heel and walking away.

Mercury's face fell as his smugness was overcome with disappointment. "Why are you always so hard to get?" Shaking his head, he trudged forward, falling in line with her. Their current path now led them to an elevator at the end of the hallway. Emerald took out a small note with Cinder's handwriting on it as she stepped in, typing down the numeric code. At once the elevator descended, bringing them to the lower levels.

As the elevator reached the end of its journey, the dilapidated hallways gave way to even more dilapidated laboratories. Surgical trays were turned over and smeared with grime or blood. Equipment such as needles and scalpels were strewn all over and the wall itself was cracked and falling apart. Water (presumably sewage water) leaked from the ceilings. Emerald looked into a room on the left, deciding that was where they needed to go.

The room was dark and it smelled even worse than anything else in this place. She stepped through the doorway, her silhouette being dwarfed by Mercury's as he followed behind. Turning to the right, he fumbled against the wall, finally finding the light switches. He turned them on…

…to reveal a very nasty looking Ursa glaring at them, its mouth wide open.

Instinctively, Emerald drew her guns, blasting off two rounds. Just as she was about to squeeze the third shot, she noticed something. The Ursa didn't respond. Additionally, it appeared to have been hung on some chains to keep it upright. The Grimm was already dead.

"Hmm…" Emerald studied the situation for a moment before putting her weapons away. "It seems I overreacted."

"I'll say." Mercury replied as he came over to study the beast. "Wonder how they kept it from evaporating…"

"Whatever it was, they were very careful not to let it slip." Emerald said, showing him a small card attached to the device that held the dead Grimm. Mercury came over, taking the card in his fingers. _Subject injected with forty kilograms of compound X to halt disintegration_.

"My my…" Mercury pursed his lips, taking one last look at the dead bear-like Grimm. "What in Remnant do you reckon these people were doing here?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out. Start looking through these files." Emerald said as she hefted a few folders onto the table. "I'll sort out the others back here."

"Ugh. More homework." Mercury groaned. "This is so dull."

"Just hurry up." Emerald stated as she flipped one open. Mercury shrugged and proceeded to examine the files, tossing aside anything that didn't look interesting.

After a while, (minutes or hours, they couldn't really tell) Emerald had finally found a small paragraph that pointed out what they needed. She turned to a small locker that was, of course, locked.

"Easy…" Emerald grinned as she took out a lockpick and worked her way through while Mercury stood watch. He truly wondered what Cinder was intending to do with whatever they were supposed to look for and even more so how it is she knew about this place. He didn't dwell on it for long. Cinder didn't want to say anything and that was that. If and when she felt they needed to know, then they would. That was what he liked about Cinder. Keeping it really close to the vest was something she excelled at.

A guttural snarl echoed through the halls, causing Mercury's alertness to heighten. "It seems we will soon have company…"

"Should I be worried?" Emerald said over her work.

"That depends." Mercury teased. "Are you as good as you say you are?"

"Oh shut it." Emerald growled as she opened the locker. A quick scan of it and she finally had what they needed. "We've got our little package. We're done here."

"Finally." Mercury sighed as he cracked the tendons in his neck. Whether or not he was thrilled that they were finished or because he was itching for the fight with the Beowolf that now came charging right at him, no one could really tell.

"We should probably leave ASAP." Emerald stared blankly as he blasted the Grimm down the hallway it came from with a roundhouse kick. "Completing this mission takes priority."

"Yes ma'am." He jokingly replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Finally got around to posting the first part of this new fic. Just to let you know, the story won't make much sense unless you've seen my prequel, titled: The Grimm Tide. So if you haven't read that yet, get to it or it will be a really confusing ride.**

**On a side note, upcoming parts of this story is credited to Outlast, which in my view is the most terrifying game since Dead Space. Without seeing that game, II never would have hammered out this story**

**Jdbl00d**


	2. Aftermath

Chapter 1:

Ruby hurried along the halls, hands full with all sorts of medical equipment that was meant to be loaded onto the next ship to Vale. Since the recent breach downtown in which hundreds of Grimm poured forth, there have been many casualties in the city. Thankfully, the number of dead had been kept to a minimum thanks not only to Beacon's Huntsmen and Huntresses, but the might of Atlas's military.

However, the patching up was still taking its toll. There were many injured, some who had been displaced from their usual homes due to the savage Grimm and of course, everyone was in a dire state of panic and dread. Despite the efforts of the Atlas military, it was still going to be a while before peace and calm could return to the city.

Ruby grunted as she placed the tray of supplies down onto the ground, where an Atlesian Knight stood. Upon seeing the equipment, it bent low, picking them up with little difficulty and headed down to the next ship waiting. Ruby walked back, seeing as she was done, and prepared to catch a breather. Beacon had completely lent its hand toward the relief efforts and every student was taking part. Shifts in the city were becoming more and more common with each passing day. Team JNPR were now helping out in security for a local village while team CFVY stayed to the main city areas. Soon enough, team RWBY's shift in the city would be up and they would be expected to last through the night. It would be a good idea to get some shut eye for now.

Something exploded far down the hall. Ruby merely walked toward the source of the commotion, the battle arena where students would practice their combat abilities. She peeked in through the door to see Yang and Weiss staring each other down.

Ruby's gaze fell to the floor. They had been doing this all day since the breach, and she knew why. Yang had been completely trounced by Neo, Torchwick's newest partner in crime. Even the news that Torchwick was now in the custody of General Ironwood did little to ease Yang's grudge and temper. Her sister had thought long and hard about that fight, realising that even though she gave it her all, Neo had beaten her. As an added insult to injury, the petite woman had been toying with her the whole time.

Weiss too had much to think about since then. Even though she had the upper edge against her adversary from the White Fang, a single mistake had almost cost her life. Weiss had even taken to doing some strengthening exercises, just enough to make sure the next time someone crashed her head into the floor; she wouldn't be reduced to a rag-doll. Since then, the two of them had constant training sessions with one another. Weiss had to face the brute force of Yang while Yang would have to contend with all the tricks the Schnee had up her sleeves.

Yang charged in, using Ember Celica to propel herself toward Weiss. However, Weiss merely jumped upwards, avoiding Yang completely whilst firing a small barrage of energy projectiles. Yang fired, detonating every single one whilst rushing at her again. Weiss now stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, enveloping the whole floor in ice. Yang slipped and skidded, grounding to a halt only when Weiss stretched out her heel.

"Focus Yang!" Weiss said, staring down at Ruby's sister. "Forcing your way through isn't always going to work. Visualise what your opponent will do and respond accordingly!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Yang growled. "That's why I'm fighting against you!"

"Then show me that you do!" Weiss snapped, pushing her away. Yang rolled for a bit, stretching her hand out and anchoring herself against the icy floor. A blue glyph illuminated the floor at Weiss's feet and she spun, lashing out a huge icicle blade. Yang's fist smashed through the icy weapon and propelled herself at Weiss, who had taken too long to recover before Yang's fist crashed into her, launching her a few metres back into the wall.

Weiss fell to her knees, panting as she held her shoulder. Yang now twisted her wrists, Ember Celica 'clinked' as she reloaded. "C'mon Weiss! Your opponents aren't just going to let you do whatever! If you want to get better, then you've got to get those skills sharper!"

Weiss shot a glare at Yang, who looked back with blood-red eyes. Ruby frowned as she watched the two of them crash head-to-head again. She knew the looks and words they threw at each other wasn't out of anger for the other. It was out frustration and determination. Frustration that they had lost, determination that they wouldn't lose again. She merely watched from the doorway, knowing there was absolutely no way to make them stop till they keeled over from exhaustion.

"Quite the handful huh?" Came a voice behind her. Ruby turned to see Blake regarding the scene with the usual calm she always had.

"What else can we do?" Ruby answered in monotone. "I understand that they want this, so I won't stop them."

"They took their losses pretty seriously." Blake nodded. "If I had been taken out by Torchwick, I'd probably feel the same." In truth though, Blake seriously wondered if she'd have lost at all. Torchwick may have been a cunning criminal, a psychopath and, in Blake's opinion, one heck of a dirtbag, but he didn't even pull off a fight to begin with. Although she was glad to have won, she had a sneaky suspicion that losing that fight may have been a deliberate move on his part.

"Well, are we going to stop them?" Blake asked. "It'll be two hours before we have to head down to the city for our shifts at the relief centre."

Ruby nodded in agreement, remembering the small outpost that General Ironwood had now set up. The Atlas figurehead was now in full control of the situation at Vale. Ruby had wondered about the position of Professor Ozpin for a while before finally understanding the whole picture. To the council of Vale, Ozpin could not be counted on right now.

A part of her believed that what he was doing was right, not taking actions to the extreme but also trying to get a better sense of the situation. On the other hand, she truly wondered if Ozpin was being a little too lacklustre in his duties. Perhaps if he had taken more action, the breach fiasco may not have happened…

Ruby shook the thoughts out of her head. Many of the teachers had mentioned that they shouldn't dwell on these matters and merely wait for time to pass. It seemed a great number of staff still believed in Beacon's headmaster, though perhaps that time was growing short.

Additionally, Torchwick was still refusing to talk. Even the whole might of Atlas's military wasn't fazing him in the slightest. Unfortunately, right now, he was their only lead to whoever planned all of these events leading up till now, and the General still wasn't keen on letting him go. At the very least, Torchwick was in good, secure hands.

Ruby pushed the thoughts out of her head. Right now, what was important was providing whatever aid they could to Vale's citizens. They needed to be there and assure them that all would be well soon enough.

"Yang, Weiss." Ruby called out to them. The two of them turned to face her, panting heavily. "You've done enough for today. We ought to rest. Our shift is going to take us through the night."


	3. Night of Frustrations

Chapter 2:

"Are you sure about this?" The White Fang pilot called out from his seat. Cinder merely frowned, already tiring of the many questions that he had asked. Already that was number twenty-eight, the one before being (for the supposedly tenth time this night): '_Is this the right place?'_ Were he not completely necessary for her current scheme, and were it not the fact that her relationship with the White Fang was strained as it is, she would have tossed him out of the aircraft and piloted the ship herself.

"Positive." She said over the engines. She hefted the rifle that was held in a small locker on the aircraft. Cinder preferred to stick to her more archaic methods, but she knew that the more modern weapons had strengths that her usual weapons didn't possess. Cinder didn't believe in forsaking the past. It was after all, how the present had begun. However, she also believed that the old ways would be all the stronger if it took into account the changes that had occurred till now, and adapted to it. Anyone too stubborn or foolish enough not to do so ended up as dead as the past they were so firmly rooted in.

_Perhaps they already are…_ Cinder mulled over as she loaded the rifle with a specialized round. But that was a philosophy she could ponder over at a later date. Right now, there was something more important to finish.

She scanned the surface of the water as the aircraft hovered. Looking through Beacon's old records, she had found a small report, one that stirred her interest. She had to admit, she hadn't heard of something like this before, and it truly gave her quite a surprise. It was as intriguing as it was terrifying, to the point where Cinder knew she simply couldn't leave it alone, not when it could yield potentially _interesting_ results.

Cinder noticed a slight bit of illumination below. She peeked out of the aircraft to spot a small ship cruising at a relatively slow speed. She frowned as she considered her options and the situation at hand. It had been already a few days since she had caught wind of the recent oceanic disappearances and she had yet to see it. It wouldn't do to be away from Mercury and Emerald for too long. Authorities might suddenly get suspicious and all her plans required that her involvement be strictly kept under wraps.

"Raise the altitude." She said to the pilot. "Monitor what is going on with that ship."

"That ship?" The pilot asked. That was now number twenty-nine. Why was it that people just couldn't obey without thinking so much?

"Yes." Cinder replied, the strain completely absent in her voice. "We'll circle for as much time as our fuel will allow." The pilot nodded, hands flipping over switches and dials. Cinder felt the aircraft rise, the ship below becoming smaller and smaller as it did.

For over three minutes, nothing had happened. The ship hadn't appeared to notice the aircraft yet and Cinder hadn't yet sighted her target.

"Ma'am." The pilot called. "Our fuel is getting low. We will need to return soon or we won't make it back."

Cinder sighed. Perhaps that was unavoidable for now. Setting the rifle down, she prepared for their inevitable departure. That's when it happened.

A guttural growl sounded, louder than anything that she had known. Cinder's head snapped back to the ship just as a black tentacle rose up and snared the vessel.

"HOLD!" Cinder bellowed to the pilot, reaching for the rifle. "Bring us lower!" Already, more of the tentacles were wrapped around the vessel. Even over the engines, Cinder could hear the screams of the sailors below.

"But ma'am!" The pilot called. "If we wait any longer, our fuel reserves will run low!"

"Hold…" Cinder said, shooting a look at him as her eyes glowed, daring the Faunus to challenge her command. The pilot shrunk back, not wanting to further incur her wrath. He worked his way with the controls, bringing the aircraft lower to the water's surface.

Cinder watched as the creature snapped the ship in half, finishing off its current prey. Looking through the scope of the custom rifle, she cocked the hammer, waiting for an opportune shot. She had only a single round since Mercury and Emerald hadn't managed to find more. It couldn't be helped, she had to make this count.

As the tentacles motions subsided, Cinder took aim and fired, her clothes glowing with the power of the imbued Dust within that was now transferred to the weapon, increasing it firepower. The dart round containing a slight silver liquid shot out of the barrel, flickering with orange as it did. Cinder watched as it embedded itself into the tentacle she had targeted.

"We're done." She said. "Take us back."

"Uh, ma'am…" The pilot gulped slightly.

"What?" Cinder huffed in annoyance. She was getting tired of his many questions.

"We…we don't have a lot of fuel left." He said. "Even if we do manage to make it back to Vale, we'll be pushing it as it is. Considering what's left, we'll at the very best crash into the ocean."

_If that is the case, wouldn't you be better off getting us back to the mainland instead of telling me about it?_ Cinder scowled mentally. She had had enough of this oaf's rambling.

"Take us back at full speed." Cinder said. "Monitor the ship's status constantly and secure all our cargo. We cannot afford to lose anything."

"But ma'am." He said. "What if we fall short?" That was number thirty. Cinder's impatience now came out for the world to see.

"Well then, you'd better improve your piloting skills fast before we find out if you are a good swimmer." Cinder answered in a cold voice. The Faunus stared for a second before realizing the message, hurriedly turning the aircraft around.

As they left the scene, Cinder turned to see the mass of tentacles sink back into the ocean, her lips curving into a devious smile.

It writhed as it finished off its meal. It was the same as ever, but still, something was different.

As it sunk back to the depths, its mind was flooded, no, overwhelmed with just one thought.

_KILL…_

_KILL…_

_KILL!_


	4. Grim Tidings

Chapter 3:

Ruby yawned, stretching her arms up. At first, she blinked, trying to understand why was it that they were not in their room at Beacon. Then she remembered the shift team RWBY had been assigned. _Right_. Ruby nodded. Grabbing Crescent Rose, she strode out of the resting tent and walked out onto the streets.

The entire of Vale's main square bustled with activity. Atlesian Knights were moving around, hefting supplies out of small trucks. Atlas soldiers also bellowed orders to one another, running about and trying to do as much as they could with the relief work. To Ruby's right was the distribution point, where food, water and small amenities were given out to the local populace who had been displaced.

Ruby walked toward the main command post, standing a few feet away as General Ironwood was in discussion with other soldiers.

"Right now sir, we have repaired sectors four to six." A soldier reported. "Once we have confirmed the stability of the structures, we should be able to move the people back into those areas."

"Very good." The General nodded. "See to it that they are settled in nicely. What of the additional supplies coming from Atlas?"

"Sir!" Another soldier spoke. "The council has notified us that they will be arriving from between 1100 hours to 1400 hours later today."

"I see." The General stroked his chin, deep in thought. "What about security on the outlying areas? Considering the recent panic and tense atmosphere, even if the Grimm cannot enter the main city, outlying villages will be in greater danger than before."

"Yes sir. Our security forces have been successful in fending them off. Team JNPR of Beacon said that their end seems to have suffered more attacks last night, but were successful in driving the enemy away." The soldier now placed the report down.

Ruby turned away, leaving the General with his commanders and hastened to her assigned tasks. Right now, team RWBY was in charge of distributing supplies and also tending to the injured. Ruby approached the tent which was set up to accommodate those who had been hurt in the recent attack. She saw Weiss inside already, bandaging a man's arm.

"There." Weiss said as she cut away the bandage. "All done." The man thanked her before walking off, allowing the next person in line to come in.

"Morning Weiss." Ruby greeted. "Anything I can do?"

"Hi Ruby." Weiss replied. "Could you help me get some more bandages? There should be some in the first aid cupboard."

"On it." Ruby nodded. Weiss was quite skilled at basic first aid, though honestly, Ruby wasn't surprised. She had after all trained and studied to be a huntress. Such skills would have definitely been a requirement. Still, the groans and laboured breathing of the injured weighed heavily on her mind. She had rarely seen what Grimm attacks could do to people, but she knew enough that they weren't the most pleasant of things. Grabbing whatever Weiss needed, she moved back to her partner, setting down the equipment before heading over and opening the ration box.

"Here you go." Ruby said as she gave a small sandwich to a teenage girl who lay on a bed, her left leg wrapped in bandages. The girl accepted with a nod of thanks as Ruby moved to distribute food to the others. She wondered how her other friends were faring. Jaune and his team appeared to have encountered a heavy skirmish with the creatures, but seeing that they made it out relaxed her. Sun and Neptune were helping with crowd control in areas that were being restored while team CFVY was in charge of perimeter defence on the city walls. Everyone sure was busy.

Once she was done, Ruby walked out to see what else she could handle, spotting Yang and Blake arriving with a new set of boxes.

"Oof…" Yang grunted as she set the box down. "Man, there really isn't time for rest huh?"

"It can't be helped." Blake said. "Even if the situation is appearing to come under control, we still have to ensure everyone gets the help they need. But I hear that in a week's time, we'll be able to get every one of these people home. Also, based on Sun and Neptune, the people that are moving back to the restored areas are getting calmer. They even said they were quite _chill_."

"I hope so." Ruby nodded as she came close. "They've been through quite a lot. It'd be nice to give them their usual lives back."

"I'm sure it will be." Came a voice. The girls turned to see Ironwood standing behind them. "If all goes according to plan, by the next week, we will have been able to return everyone here to their homes. Hopefully then, at least Vale will return to being a safe haven."

"Yeah." Yang nodded. "Till then, count on us!"

"Thank you Yang." The General nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must report to Vale's council." With a slight bow, he walked away.

"Whew…" Yang sighed. "Man, soon it'll be over. I'll be glad when all this work pays off."

"Don't say it just yet." Blake interjected. "I just heard team JNPR had quite the scuffle with some Grimm."

"Well, the perimeter attacks are getting less and less." Ruby said. "That should be good." Looking around, she saw a familiar team walking towards them. "Hey look! It's team CFVY!" At these words, Yang and Blake turned to see their seniors walking toward them.

"Hey there!" Yang smiled while giving a slight wave. "Glad to see you guys are back."

"Yeah. We can finally take a break." Came the voice of Coco from team CFVY. The rest of her teammates were behind her as her weapon shifted back into its handbag form. "The attacks on the perimeter have slowed down enough, so we were told to return here to be on standby."

"That sounds good." Yang nodded. "I guess that means Jaune and the rest will be returning shortly too. Heard they got attacked by a large pack of Beowolves whilst on watch. Hopefully their side will smoothen out soon."

Blake nodded. "It'd be nice to get a bit of quiet, though I doubt people are going to forget this so easily."

"Well, I suppose it'll work out eventually." Ruby replied. "We've done all we can. People just need to move on."

An Atlas soldier now ran up to them as they talked. "I need more help with the incoming cargo later today. Can any of you volunteer?"

"Hey, count on us." Yang smiled. Ruby, Blake and team CFVY nodded in agreement.

"Great." The soldier replied. "There'll be a truck headed there around noon. See you then."

* * *

><p>Some hours later, teams RWBY and CFVY were at the harbour awaiting the cargo ships from Atlas. Ruby scanned the horizon to see the first vessel come into view.<p>

"Why hello there lil' kid." Came a cantankerous voice. Ruby turned to see a familiar face, one she hadn't seen for quite some time now.

"Hi Damien." She greeted cheerily. "How's everything been?"

"Pretty fine." He replied, straightening his sailor hat. "Ever since our scuffle with that damned Kraken those months ago I've got a bit of rep back. Got a decent job at least, working with ships and the like. It ain't easy, but it makes a life at least. How've you been?"

"Oh well. You know…" Ruby shrugged. "Studying, training, saving the world from evil."

"Uh-huh." The old ex-sailor nodded with a wry grin. "That breach gave me the scare though. Never thought Grimm would just come in and wreak havoc all over the place. But I guess that damned Kraken made me more robust against wetting my own pants. How are the rest of you doing?"

"Fine." Blake said. "Hope nothing happened down here."

"Well, if it wasn't for the Atlas military, we probably wouldn't be here now. So I figured it be uncharitable of us to not give help where we can for Vale, so here I am. Been off-loading cargo since. But based on what I've heard, things ought to smoothen out soon enough."

"We hope so." Velvet nodded as the first vessel made port. "Anyways, how much cargo are we expecting?"

"Got the slip right here." Weiss said. "According to the general, we've got about four ships arriving within the next two hours. Mostly just food and medical supplies."

"I gotta admit." Coco said, pushing up her glasses. "Atlas was serious when it said it'd lend as much help as it could. Wonder how they haven't yet emptied their stocks yet."

"Atlas prides itself on its great levels of technological development and research." Weiss explained. "It would take a lot to bring it to its knees."

"I guess so." Coco replied. "You were from Atlas right?"

Weiss nodded. "I am rather familiar with what goes on in the kingdom."

"But remember little lady, even the most powerful force can be brought low." Damien said. "You just got to know where to smack it." He glanced down at a small watch. "Best get going. The ships aren't going to moor themselves."

"See you Damien." Ruby smiled. "Take care."

The port worker nodded as he went back to work. "You too lil' lady."

* * *

><p>By the time they had loaded the last box into the truck, the sun had begun to set. Ruby breathed a sigh of exhaustion. "Glad that's over." She said as she wiped a small bit of sweat from her brow.<p>

"I'd like a nice cup of hot chocolate when this is over." Yang said. "Right now, our shift should be over, so I guess all we have to do is let the General know."

Over by the trucks, Weiss and Velvet studied the paper that detailed the different cargo needed. After flipping through a few times, Weiss's face turned into a frown. "That's weird…" Everyone had heard the heiress's apparent comment, gathering around her to find out what's wrong.

"What happened?" Blake asked, looking over Weiss's shoulder.

"It seems one ship hasn't arrived yet." Weiss replied. "The Resolute. It was meant to be transporting more parts to be used in reconstructing parts of Vale. Wonder what is taking it so long?"

"Maybe they developed engine trouble?" Fox reasoned. "That way, they won't be able to travel as quickly."

"It can't be a storm." Coco added, pushing down her shades to inspect the list. "The report mentioned clear skies."

"We ought to report this to the General." Yatsuhashi said. "He should at least know on the details of the ship."

"Good idea." Blake nodded, moving over and notifying the soldier that had accompanied them. With a nod, the red-garbed soldier took out a small intercom and brought it to his mouth.

"What happened?" Damien Jonas came over, wondering what the eight teens were absorbed in.

"Ship didn't come." Ruby answered. "We're checking with General Ironwood to see if anything came up with them."

Damien bit his lip as he processed the news. Seeing his stymied reaction, Ruby tilted her head, frowning in curiosity. Noticing this, Damien folded his arms with a nervous look. "Listen up kids, I didn't think I had to be bothered, but right now, all bets are off. Thing is, there have been a few disappearances in the ocean as of late."

"What?" Ruby gasped.

"I left it as a last possibility, but one thing I know is that our friend the Kraken didn't exactly kick the bucket the last time we scuffled with him." Damien said, scratching his head and looking to the ocean. "I don't have proof, but the feeling I have is that he is the one responsible. And if he is, then we have a problem."

"You don't think we should let the General know about this?" Ruby asked.

"It's just a feeling." Damien shrugged. "One I'm hoping is wrong." Ruby stared at him just as the soldier finished.

"The General says he was talking with its captain earlier." He said. "There was nothing out of the ordinary."

_Not good_. Ruby thought. It was a slim chance, but what if Damien was right?

"Mr. Jonas, let the general know what's going on, especially what you think happened." Ruby said as she took out her scroll. "We'll do what we can to find the missing ship."

"You sure kid?" Damien questioned.

"We have to do something." Ruby replied. "Otherwise, we'll be having a large problem again. Team RWBY, we've got to go!" At once, Weiss, Blake and Yang followed.

"Hey! Don't leave without us!" Coco shouted, motioning her team to come over.

"No! Sorry Coco, but I think it'd be better if you guys stayed here to handle the supplies. We'll let you guys know if we find anything!" Ruby flipped through the scroll, her hand clicking on Glynda's contact. The device rang for a few seconds before she picked up.

"Ruby Rose? What is it?" She said in a business-like tone.

"Professor. We need an airship for a search and rescue mission." Ruby said as she began her explanation.


	5. Disastrous Return

Chapter 4:

Ruby scanned the ocean from the ship but to no avail. The ship didn't appear to be anywhere in sight. There was nothing to make out its presence in these waters and there was no debris, making it impossible to discern if it had been sunk.

"Maybe they got lost? Their navigation may have malfunctioned." Blake said as the wind whipped her hair around.

"Atlas ships utilise state of the art equipment to get around the oceans." Weiss replied. "Even in a torrential storm it would take a lot just to knock out their navigation systems and their radar."

"Pirates maybe?" Yang frowned. "They could have hijacked the ship and made off with it."

"But wouldn't we have heard of pirate activity from the news?" Blake said. "Additionally, it doesn't add up to the fact that we lost contact with the ship. If pirates had attacked, they would have radioed in. Also, if what Weiss says is true, pirates would be in for a fight of their lives taking on an Atlas cargo liner. They have top notch security."

"Let's just keep looking as much as we can." Ruby called from the door. We've still got ten minutes of fuel left, so keep an eye out. Hopefully, we'll find something." She resumed her scanning of the ocean. Still, even she couldn't help but feel completely helpless. _Snap out of it Ruby!_ She berated herself. _You've got a job to do! So keep to it!_ She slapped her cheek lightly, removing all traces of doubt from her mind.

"Wonder how the rest are doing." Yang said as she thought about the situation back in Vale. "Hopefully they aren't getting too many complications."

"Team CFVY are a tough outfit and team JNPR has done pretty amazing stuff in recent times." Weiss said, noting Jaune's improved abilities. "Plus, with Atlas's forces, I'm sure there will be little that they won't be able to handle."

"Weiss is right." Blake agreed. "I doubt there will be much to worry about."

Just as Blake said so, something was flung out of the water and straight at the airship. Thankfully, the pilot noticed just in time, swerving out of the way before the projectile could clip the aircraft's wings.

"Woah!" Ruby shrieked. "Where did that come from?"

"What was it?" Weiss said as she righted herself, looking at the ocean's surface.

"Was that a rock?" Yang yelled over the clamour, utterly baffled.

"If it was…" Blake huffed as she got up. "What could have thrown it?"

Her answer came almost immediately. A low guttural roar echoed throughout the air. Ruby froze instantly. It was a roar she was familiar with, one that spelled absolute doom for any vessel that came across. She still remembered what it was like to see what this creature could do. From the deepest recess of her mind, the screaming of sailors resurfaced. She recalled what it did to a whole ship, snapping it into two as if it were nothing but a twig.

"It can't be…" Weiss said, panic inching slightly into her voice. "It's here again?"

"We have to let everyone back in Vale know!" Ruby said. "Take us back!"

The pilot nodded, turning the ship around. As he did, a black tentacle shot out of the water, clutching onto a sizeable boulder.

"Incoming!" Blake yelled as the Kraken hurled the boulder straight at them. The pilot banked hard again, narrowly avoiding it.

"Okay, is it just me or did this guy suddenly get an I.Q. upgrade?" Yang said. "It never did things like this before!"

"Honestly, I don't think we know how smart it is!" Ruby replied. She thought back to what Doctor Oobleck had said before. _Not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless._ Based on what she knew, this thing may have been around since who knew when. It was definitely older than any other Grimm known. Even she had hundreds of questions as to the abilities this creature possessed, questions that were likely to turn up even more questions.

They watched as the aircraft easily went past the range of the creature. Ruby leaned out to see the black appendage sink back into the ocean. It seems the creature knew that it was futile to attack them. Then, she saw the silhouette of the creature move, under the surface of the water. Based on its direction, it seemed to be heading to…

"Vale…" Ruby said, her face going pale. She knew what kind of havoc this thing caused on the seas. She couldn't imagine what it could do to a whole kingdom.

"But why?" Weiss blinked. "Why does it want to attack Vale? I thought it was just concerned with the open seas."

"That can wait." Ruby said grimly. "We have to warn everyone."

* * *

><p>"What is the situation at the docks?" General Ironwood asked his men.<p>

"Sir!" One of them replied. "We've stationed our ships right there. All available troops are also being deployed."

"Very good." The General replied. "Get all civilians into safe areas immediately. Make sure no one is left in the potential threat zone!"

"James!" Came a familiar voice. Ironwood turned to see a familiar face walking toward him.

"Glynda?" He frowned as the bespectacled woman came up to him. "What are you doing here? This place is about to become a potential combat zone and all non-military personnel are not allowed here!"

"I think there's something you ought to know." Glynda said, brushing his comment away with a mere huff. "This creature of Grimm is something I doubt even your army can hope to defeat. We have faced it before and uncovered numerous traits, such as incredible strength and especially the ability to regenerate quickly. Even if you can hold it off, it can still attack without fear. You will need all the help you can get."

Ironwood merely stared into her eyes, concluding that she wasn't exaggerating. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I want you to follow my instructions."

"I can handle myself just fine James." Glynda nodded. "You concentrate on coordinating your forces." At this, she turned to Coco, who now had her team gathered. "Team CFVY, I want you to stay and provide support in both the defence and evacuation."

"Got it Professor." Coco nodded. "Fox, Velvet, focus on getting people out. Yatsuhashi, you're with me. We're the only ones who can actually fight this sucker, so keep frosty." Yatsuhashi bowed, readying his weapon while Coco deployed her minigun.

"Are you sure Glynda? Letting children into such a life threatening situation?" Ironwood said as he watched team CFVY. If Coco would be allowed to, she probably would have drop-kicked the General on the spot.

"I assure you James, even your soldiers fare no better in this." Glynda said as she drew out her crop. "We blew up a whole ship just to try and kill this creature and yet here it is again. Though I cannot fathom why it would choose to come to Vale. It maintained a merely nomadic lifestyle in the oceans attacking ships."

"How could we not identify such a threat earlier?" Ironwood frowned.

"Even I was shocked at the existence of this creature." Glynda answered. "And I haven't a clue as to what this creature is capable of besides what I have already told you. If anything, I believe this Grimm is the epitome of destruction."

Ironwood kept silent, knowing he wouldn't get more from Glynda. Instead, he turned to his troops, relaying more instructions. "Get some long range weaponry. This creature may only stay within the water, so we will be in for a long ranged battle."

As soon as he said this, a cry came out. Everyone turned to see a boulder sailing through the air. Glynda reacted immediately, waving out and telekinetically grabbing the rocky projectile, straining against its weight. She directed it back to another rock that was now directed at them. The collision destroyed both projectiles, their rocky fragments pelting everyone around.

"Woah…" Coco frowned as she hefted her gun. She could now see a black tentacle rise out of the water, hefting another boulder and getting ready to fling it. As it readied itself, a hail of gunfire came from the airships overhead. Blood spurted out where bullets tore holes into the appendage, which now squirmed and retreated back into the ocean.

"We have the advantage in the skies." The General reported. "I'll have my men maintain their positions." As he said this, another tentacle rose up and threw a boulder right toward the airship that had fired upon it. The rock smashed right through the left wing of the ship. Black smoke now billowed out of one of its engines as it started losing altitude. Immediately, other gunships came in to provide cover for the damaged craft.

"Okay, seriously, what else is this thing going to prove wrong today?" Coco grumbled under her breath as the Atlas ships fired in the creature's location. Once more, it repeated its tactic of bombardment, now smashing into a whole squad of Atlesian Knights and simultaneously crushing a Paladin. Thankfully, no one was in it at the time.

"This is getting bad." Coco frowned. "Professor, we can't do anything like this! I need to get in closer!"

"An airship is being readied right now!" Glynda reported. "Get on it and provide whatever cover you can!"

"No way am I letting my favourite clothing store get smashed again." Coco said as she stalked toward the nearest one.

* * *

><p>"It's a mess back there." Blake mentioned to the rest as they approached the port. The others now peeked out of the aircraft to spot the billowing black smoke that rose from Vale's docks. Ruby could see the mass of black tentacles now rising out of the water, throwing boulders toward the shore. Some Atlas fighters came in for a bombing run, only to be snared and thrown away, exploding as they collided into other ships.<p>

"This is horrible…" Weiss gasped. "I thought it had an advantage in the open waters, but this looks even worse."

Another airship hovered just close by. Team RWBY could now see the spray of bullets emitting from its doors, which definitely meant Coco was there. Another airship came into view, this time, a familiar explosive blast was heard from within. It seemed team JNPR had returned, only to have to face this monstrosity again.

"Get us to the city." Ruby told the pilot. "At this range, we won't be able to do anything to it. But we can at least help out with some evacuation. We'll leave the fighting to the Atlas military."

"Right." Yang nodded. The last time they had fought this thing, it was on a capsizing ship with a seemingly suicidal plan with little to no chance of success. Even if they had managed to detonate the entire vessel, the Kraken still survived. In a straight up battle, none of them stood a chance.

"Miss Rose, I just received a message!" The pilot called out. Ruby frowned, going to the cockpit to check the source of the transmission. Her eyes widened as she saw the one calling.

"Professor Ozpin?" Ruby gasped. Upon hearing the headmaster's name, the rest of her team gathered around.

"Team RWBY." Ozpin began. "I understand you have had your hands full at the moment, but as of now, I am assigning you to another mission, one that requires your special talents. Doctor Oobleck will also be joining you. Head back to Beacon academy now for resupply, after which he shall brief you on this task. I am aware of the situation that is transpiring at the docks and this mission I am giving you is related to it. Details will be given to you soon." The transmission cut off immediately. Team RWBY looked at each other, wondering what exactly the headmaster had planned.

"Take us back." Ruby said. She still trusted Professor Ozpin to be doing what was for the best. "It seems we've got a change of plan."

* * *

><p>"You're tasking them on something else?" Glynda frowned as she spoke into her scroll while the entire scene around her was enveloped by chaos and destruction. Already, most of Atlas's forces were engaging the monster, Atlesian Paladins firing long range Dust-powered cannons to halt projectiles or damage the creature itself. The capital ships above rained artillery down upon the monster. Still, it proved to be difficult, as the creature merely seemed to shrug it off and continue attacking.<p>

"But sir," Glynda continued over the clamour. "I think we need everyone we can afford for the situation as it is!"

"At this juncture, team RWBY will be more suited to finding a solution to solve this problem." Ozpin replied. "The only ones best equipped to stave of this threat are the Atlas forces. Their skills will be wasted here. Rest assured, our remaining students are also responding to this."

Glynda's concern showed on her face. She wasn't one to question Ozpin, but sometimes she felt his decisions to be rather unorthodox at times. Nevertheless, she too agreed with him. "Very well sir." Turning off the device, she watched as a trio of boulders was flung toward her. With a wave, the boulders crumbled into sand, falling harmlessly around her. A final barrage from the Atlas ships now exploded on the water, sending droplets of water cascading all around.

A guttural roar sounded as the tentacles shrank back into the ocean. A strangled silence hung in the air for a few seconds before the Atlas solders let out a cheer.

"Victory…" General Ironwood sighed in relief. "In all my years, I've never seen anything like it."

"I have a feeling t will be back." Glynda said to him. "It's wounded, but not dead. And it will be ready the next time."

"What would cause it to come here?" Ironwood frowned. "What is the meaning of it?"

"I do not know." Glynda replied. "However, we must prepare with whatever time we have. We cannot afford to wait."

"I agree." Ironwood nodded as he spoke orders through a small communicator he held. As Glynda turned away to address other students arriving on the scene, Ironwood turned.

"What did Ozpin say to you?" Glynda froze, face curling in annoyance. Lately, the strain in Ironwood and Ozpin's relationship was showing. Glynda wasn't one to lie, but she didn't like how much mistrust the General now had.

"He's sending team RWBY on another mission." She replied curtly. "As to what it is, it seems he will brief me later."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Ironwood asked.

"Maybe because he knew I would." Glynda said. "And maybe because you would concentrate too much on that and lose focus on your real task." _Or maybe because you wouldn't approve_. Glynda didn't say this out loud, but she knew it wouldn't have mattered. The General might have been thinking the same thing.

"And what may that be?" Ironwood said, though he already knew his answer.

"To defend Vale, James." Glynda replied before walking away.


	6. Creek Lake

Chapter 5:

"Hello once again girls!" Doctor Oobleck greeted jovially as he stood on the landing platform. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"Excuse me doctor, but what will we be fighting?" Weiss asked as she picked up Zwei, who had apparently been following the teacher.

"I will explain everything in time my dear, but first we must ready the ship. Do understand however that the nature of the mission is that of stealth and retrieval of important information." Doctor Oobleck said quickly as he explained. "All at Beacon are currently aware of the situation down in the city and I assure you everyone, myself and the headmaster included, are in their respective places and roles."

"Retrieval of information?" Yang frowned. "Aren't we supposed to be finding like, you know, a way to stop this creature?"

"You are correct Yang." Oobleck replied. "And that is where information will be useful."

"How?" Yang wondered, still confused.

"What a preposterous question my dear!" Oobleck retorted. "Information is power! A powerful power! Did I not teach that to you in class?"

"Well, yeah…" Yang nodded, admitting her silly question. "But shouldn't we be more concentrated in stopping this thing?"

"That is exactly what we are doing!" Oobleck replied. "Ever since you encountered this creature months ago, we have been finding ways to deal with it permanently should it return to harm us. Now that time has come, and the headmaster has given us this task. This would ensure the safety of not just Vale, but all kingdoms." The doctor now moved in close to Yang, his face a few inches from hers. "I believe I have already stressed the importance of this, important mission."

"Okay…" Yang nodded. "Read you loud and clear doc…"

"As long as you understand." He nodded. "Now is seems preparations are complete!" The whole of team RWBY turned to see the refuelling team now step away, giving the thumbs-up to the teacher. "Very well then." Oobleck continued. "I suggest we get as move on before our schedule goes out of, schedule!"

"Wait, Doctor Oobleck." Blake said, causing him to turn around. "Exactly where are we going for this mission?" Blake asked. "Professor Ozpin said you'd be able to explain."

"Ah yes." Oobleck nodded, pushing up his glasses. "The crux of the matter. Rest assured, I will brief you on the way. But I there is anything you must know, the threat level of this mission is far greater than that of Mountain Glenn."

The four girls looked at each other. Something worse than Mountain Glenn? Ruby now wondered what kind of danger awaited them.

* * *

><p>"We're going to an asylum?" Weiss blinked, almost unable to contain her shock.<p>

"Not just any asylum Ms Schnee." Oobleck answered. "Our destination is Creek Lake Asylum."

Ruby blinked. "What's that?" She turned to look at Weiss, whose face now suddenly seemed paler than before. "Weiss, everything okay?"

"Ruby, do you know what Creek Lake Asylum is?" Weiss asked. Though the question focused on Ruby, it was evident that Weiss had directed it to everyone.

"Not really." Yang frowned. "It's the first time I've heard of it."

"I've never heard of it before." Blake answered. "What was it?"

"It was labelled an asylum for the mentally ill and criminally insane." Doctor Oobleck answered. "However, it is one of the final, and more insidious monuments of Vale's past. Ms. Schnee, would you care to elaborate? It appears you know about this as well."

Weiss nodded, though she appeared reluctant. "Creek Lake. It was a real asylum, but that was just a cover for what it really did. It was built about nearly forty years ago for psychopaths and the like. It helped the Vale council with two things: Getting rid of criminals and…" Weiss breathed before continuing. "Studying Grimm."

"What?!" Yang gasped in shock. "Studying Grimm?"

"Why'd they need criminals for that?" Blake wondered.

"Remember Ms. Belladonna, that the Grimm are attracted to feelings of negativity." Oobleck replied. "The criminals admitted there were murderers, arsonists, serial killers. People that have plagued Vale as dangerous criminals. At the time, the Vale council believed they could kill two birds with a single stone. Removing the danger of crime from people's lives while figuring out how they could pacify Grimm. The hatred, madness, rage and such emotions in those people served as a perfect fodder for the many Grimm specimens kept there."

"Oh god…" Ruby breathed. "That's, that's horrible…"

"Keep in mind that right then, all feared the Grimm." Oobleck explained. "Even with Dust, they remained a great threat. Creek Lake was just one step people took to ensuring the security of the common man in both pacifying those savage monsters, and in getting rid of people society could do without." Blake was coughing now, from disgust and from holding her breath in too long. Ruby and Yang could do nothing but stare in shocked silence.

"At one time however, the council believed they were getting a breakthrough." Weiss continued. "Reports weren't clear, but apparently, they found numerous ways to counter certain aspects of Grimm. However, something happened. Some of the criminals got out and, well, many of the staff were killed. Since then, Creek Lake was shut down and abandoned."

"And now stands as a sobering monument of a time when humanity chose to sacrifice the unwanted to the darkness." Oobleck finished. He now had a dark look on his face, one that was shared by everyone.

"Wait, if it's abandoned, why do we need to exercise caution?" Yang frowned.

"You see, they abandoned the facility." Oobleck answered. "Along with the Grimm specimens within."

"You think some of them might have gotten out?" Ruby frowned.

"It's entirely possible that the entire place is infested with those monsters." He said. "Be on your guard."

"Doctor Oobleck, we are ten minutes away!" The pilot reported.

"Alright girls. Grab something light for dinner. I have a feeling this will be a long one."

* * *

><p>Blake stepped off the airship and took one look at the place. Already she felt sick. The foreboding Romanesque building towered over everything around her, and appeared larger than Beacon itself. Blake's eyes turned upward to the one clock tower that jutted out like a spike. Was that supposed to help tell the time, or to keep a look out for unwanted guests? Blake supposed she would never know.<p>

"Okay. I'm officially spooked…" Ruby gulped as she stared at the building. Bake didn't even turn around. She could already picture Ruby's anxiety in her head.

"If it's built like this to keep people out, I wonder what they did to keep people in…" Yang wondered as she looked at a barbed wire fence that had seen better days. Zwei stayed close to her, sniffing at the remains of metal pipe.

"I really don't want to be here." Weiss nodded. "But right now, we're probably all that's left to stop the Kraken from levelling half of Vale."

"An astute observation Ms. Schnee." Doctor Oobleck nodded. "I will be accompanying you all on this mission due to the high risk level. Stay on guard and keep together."

"Right." The four girls nodded, following Doctor Oobleck. They went up to the main doors of the building. Zwei sniffed the front door and immediately whimpered.

"What is it boy?" Ruby frowned as she strode over to the door. Giving it a tug, she found the door jammed.

"No surprise there." Weiss said. "This place has been closed for close to twenty years."

"Well, there has to be another way in…" Blake said as she scanned the floors above. At last, she discovered what she was hoping for. A broken window. "There." Blake pointed at her discovery. Weiss nodded, immediately setting up a glyph.

"Wait!" Ruby said, stopping her. "We have to make sure it is safe."

"Right." Weiss agreed, turning to Blake. The Faunus nodded, sprinting up the wall and stabbing Gambol Shroud into the brick foundation. Leaning over slightly, she peeked in. Seeing that the coast was clear, she gave a thumbs-up. Weiss now set her glyph on the ground, propelling the rest and herself up to the window, Blake somersaulting in just as they all got in.

"Damn, it's dark." Yang said.

"I'll lead the way." Blake said, her natural night vision allowing her perfect eyesight. Simultaneously, Doctor Oobleck reached into his pocket and pulled out a small torch. Inserting a red filter into the lens, he flicked it on, dull red light shining on the walls.

"Stay tight." Ruby whispered under her breath, drawing Crescent Rose. "Zwei, keep silent okay?" Zwei whimpered, indicating his positive response. Blake drew up to a door, her sword in her right hand as her left slowly eased it open. "Clear." She whispered as she drew into the hallway, the rest following behind.

"Strange that there is light here." Weiss frowned. "I thought the place was abandoned."

"Creek Lake was meant to withstand years of sustained work." Oobleck commented. "It is very likely that it is running on its backup solar charged generators to prevent total power loss. The main lighting is out, but we will still be able to see properly thanks to the secondary lights."

"Well, that should makes things less complicated." Yang sighed with relief. Then, a light blew.

"You just had to jinx us, didn't you?" Weiss groaned.

"Not my fault princess!" Yang snapped.

"Shh!" Ruby hushed them up immediately. "I'm not sure about you two, but this place gives me the creeps. So keep a lid on it!"

The party wandered down the halls. Although musty bookcases and all manner of furniture were strewn about, Ruby had a nervous feeling this place was more than meets the eye. As she stepped over a fallen chair, she stepped on something hard. Looking down, she saw that beneath her foot was a small clipboard.

"Huh." Ruby frowned as she picked it up. She turned it over to see a worn out piece of paper. Most of the writing was indiscernible due to age, but it appeared to be a research paper of sorts.

"Check this out." Ruby said, lifting it to everyone. Weiss came forward and took the clipboard from her, squinting as she tried to read the words.

"Record #09445- something." Weiss halfway spoke and muttered as she read the blurred report. "Patient X-1 blah blah, history of unreasonable violence. Potential research subject. Etcetera, etcetera, Grimm reaction heightened in close proximity to patient. The rest is blurred."

"Good lord…" Ruby gasped. "They really were doing experiments here."

"Why didn't they burn this place down ages ago?" Blake said in absolute disgust. "People have died here."

"Perhaps we should." Yang growled. "But let me guess, one of these 'experiments' may solve our Kraken problem."

"Precisely." Oobleck nodded. "I despise this place as well, but unfortunately, we are in no capacity to do anything. Let us just continue with our mission and leave, as soon as possible."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Weiss said as she threw the clipboard away, obviously disgusted with reading it. They continued along the hallway till they reached a door that led to the main entrance lobby of the building. Unfortunately, the door was blocked.

"Hey, there's a vent up there." Ruby said as she looked up. "Maybe I can find a way around and unlock this thing."

"Can't I just make a way?" Yang asked as she folded her arms.

"Remember Yang, this mission is about stealth." Blake said. "We can't cause unnecessary attention. Need a boost Ruby?"

"Thanks." Ruby nodded as Blake knelt down, allowing the girl to reach up and crawl into the vent shaft. "Ugh. It's really cramped in here." Came Ruby's muffled voice. They watched as Ruby suddenly appeared on the other side, shifting away the furniture and debris that barred their path.

"Well, that takes care of that." Ruby nodded as she opened the door, breathing deeply.

"Good thinking Ms. Rose." Oobleck nodded. "Now, let us see if we can scrounge up more information around here. I suggest we stick to this particular area before moving on. Ruby, Weiss, you two will take the rooms on the far side. Yang and Blake, take this side with me."

"Roger. Come on Zwei." Ruby said as she and Weiss began. However, the place didn't appear so cooperative. Many a time, Ruby had to slice open a door just because it was locked. Almost always, it wasn't anything interesting. Some dead computers, old research papers, but nothing of much value, save for one that was still discernible.

"Report #4511." Weiss read, squinting in the dim light. "Patient E-94. Presence has revealed a breakthrough in Grimm hormonal levels and sympathetic responses. Sufficient data acquired on Grimm neural pathways. Proceeding to phase 2 of 'Project Pacifier'. Patient to be sedated till next experiment on other Grimm species for additional data collection."

"Project Pacifier?" Ruby frowned. "Sounds like a good lead."

"We'll hold onto this for now." Weiss nodded. "I think it'll be helpful later." Weiss turned to see another door, one which read 'Archive'. "Maybe we could find something in here."

"Worth a shot." Ruby nodded. Weiss strode over and placed her hand on the doorknob. Thankfully, it wasn't locked.

The heiress turned and opened the door-

-and screamed as a mutilated body collapsed on her.


	7. Hunter, Hunted

Chapter 6:

"Oh God! Oh God!" Weiss screeched. The heiress panted as she tried to get over her recent shock. "What the hell was that?"

Ruby was knelt besides the heiress, rubbing her shoulder and trying to calm her down. "It's okay Weiss. It's just a…" Ruby now held her tongue, deciding that the initial sentence was still too much.

"It's just what Ruby?" Weiss hissed as she stared at the body that had fallen on her. Ruby would have answered, but she decided that would have been the worst course of action. The corpse had to be about thirty years old, but it appeared fresh still. And oddly enough, it was that of a decapitated Beowolf.

"What happened?" Yang, Blake and Doctor Oobleck now came over, their eyes catching a stricken Weiss and the dead Grimm. "What's wrong Weiss?" Yang smirked. "Beowolf got your tongue?"

"Shut up Yang. It is not funny." Weiss snarled as Oobleck came to examine the corpse.

"Strange." Oobleck frowned. "This Grimm is already dead, but it isn't dissolving. Very valuable indeed. It appears that one of their breakthroughs was to create a type of serum that regresses their disintegration."

"Well, a lot of help that was…" Weiss commented sarcastically as she stood up, still breathing hard. "And what in the world was it doing here?"

"Hard to say." Oobleck frowned. "These experiments are very dodgy and I fear many important documents may be of little use."

"Well, we did find something for a Project Pacifier." Ruby spoke up, holding the report in her hand. "Must have been something they were working on here, maybe it could help."

"Project Pacifier huh?" Blake frowned. "Might be a good lead. Any ideas where we can start?"

"In there maybe?" Ruby said, gesturing to the open archive room. "Though honestly, I have a bad feeling about it."

"I've been having a bad feeling ever since we got here." Weiss answered huffily. "Can we just get what we need and leave?"

"Agreed." Doctor Oobleck nodded, entering the room. His flashlight revealed quite the gory scene. Blood was splattered along the walls and on some books. Another dead Grimm, a Creep by the looks of it, lay sprawled over a table, a knife run through its neck. Strangely enough, there were wires attached to its head that now ran down its back.

"What in the world?" Yang gasped as she examined the dead Grimm. "Why the heck's a Grimm got wires on it?"

"Well, they were experimenting with these things." Blake replied. "I suppose they had to find a way to gather data on them. Though how they even managed this, I'm all ears. I don't think the Grimm would just let anyone come up and hook some machines onto them."

"Huh." Yang blinked as she walked away from the corpse. Doctor Oobleck went to one of the computers, clicking on the main switch. The terminal buzzed to life, casting shadows on the walls around. His fingers swiftly hit the keyboard, searching through the records for anything related to Ruby's latest find.

"It seems these computers do not have any information pertaining to the project." Oobleck said. "However, the terminals are pointing to another more secure storage location somewhere in the basement."

"So we have to go down?" Weiss gulped as she took in the Doctor's words.

"Apparently so." Oobleck said as he pulled up a map of the asylum that was stored on the computer. "It seems we will be able to get there through the elevator in the main lobby."

"Alright." Ruby said. "So we head to the lobby. Looks like there's a crack in the wall here." Ruby pointed to a small fissure in the wall directly behind her. "Maybe it'll get us down to where we need to go."

"Only one way to find out little sis." Yang said as she bashed the wall open. However, they now looked down a dimly lit hallway that had no way of getting them to their destination. Instead, the corridor was lined with rooms that were lined with white tiles. Ruby peeked into one and saw a strange sight. In the middle of the room was a glass panel that allowed them to view a separate room below.

"Whelp." Yang frowned as she stared down the hallway. "So much for that."

"Better than nothing if you'd ask me." Blake said. "Let's at least find out where this goes."

"Weird." Ruby frowned as she walked up and stood upon the glass. "Why'd have a room with nothing in it?"

"It looks like an observation chamber." Weiss said as she came over, looking down into the plain room below. She couldn't see much due to the lack of light, but she definitely didn't want to be down there.

Something cracked. Weiss and Ruby now looked down to see a spider-web of cracks emerge on the glass. Less than a second after that, the entire glass frame gave way, plunging the two of them into the dark room below.

* * *

><p>"Ow…" Weiss groaned as she sat up. Her hand was touching something rough and upon closer inspection, she saw that it was wood. Weiss wasn't sure why wood shrapnel was here, but she decided that wasn't as dangerous as the glass shards that littered the floor.<p>

_Weiss you idiot!_ She berated herself. _You should have known better that the floor might have given way any time! And yet you stood on it!_ She also knew she should have told Ruby to step off as well, but once again, her mind came to the conclusion she was absolutely stupid.

"Ruby?" She called out, straining to see in the dim surroundings. With no light around, there was little she could make out.

"Ruby! Weiss! Are you both alright?" Came Doctor Oobleck's voice above. Weiss looked up to see him kneeling beside the new hole they had made through the room above.

"I'm fine!" Weiss replied. "Not sure about Ruby though…"

Doctor Oobleck fumbled for his flashlight, taking it out and turning it on. Weiss immediately saw her partner sprawled on the ground to her left.

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped, coming over. "Ruby you alright?"

"Huh?" Ruby blinked as she regained consciousness. "Weiss? Where are we?"

Weiss gasped in relief. "Thank goodness. We fell through the floor. I'm such an idiot! I should have known the glass would not be stable and I went and stood on it. I'm sorry…"

"Hey." Ruby smiled as she sat up. "No worries. Besides, I'm just a little sore. Nothing to worry about." Ruby them got up to her feet and immediately cried out.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled as Ruby almost fell back down, as if her leg couldn't support her. Looking at Ruby closer, she saw why. When they had fallen over, Ruby must have landed on some of the larger wood planks that were in the room. Although they weren't very life threatening, some were still sharp. Weiss could now plainly see the splinter that was stuck into Ruby's ankle, slight blood trickles oozing out of the wound.

"Crap…" Ruby groaned as Weiss sat her down. The heiress now worked to pull out the splinter, which resulted in Ruby cringing from the pain. Once it was out, Weiss pulled out a small roll of bandages and made a dressing on Ruby's leg. "How's it look doc?" Ruby chuckled nervously in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You'll be fine." Weiss nodded as she finished. "But no way are you using your Aura for speeding around. You could end up opening it again."

"Well, we seem to be in a pickle…" Oobleck said from above. "Ruby, will you still be able to fight?"

"I can still be of use in a ranged battle." Ruby nodded. "My scythe would be too big in these small spaces."

"I'll cover for Ruby." Weiss nodded. "Don't you worry about her Yang."

"You just make sure she gets back in one piece alright?" Yang nodded. "Oh, and take Zwei with you! I'll feel better knowing he's tagging with you both." At this, Yang hefted the Corgi down to Weiss, who caught him expertly.

"Thanks Yang." Weiss nodded. "We'll try to find another way down. How many floors are we expecting?"

"At least four floors down." Blake said. "Well meet you guys there. Call us once you've reached."

"Understood." Weiss said as she set Zwei down, looking at the dog in the eye as she ruffled his fur. "Listen Zwei, Ruby and I need you to keep a watch for us. If you see anything, a slight growl will do, okay?" Zwei barked in response as Weiss helped Ruby up.

"Guess we go forward huh?" Ruby noted as she stared down the hallway. It was not completely dark, but visibility was still low. Weiss didn't see any other choice, drawing her sword before they started down the corridor.

"By the way Ruby," Weiss began as they walked. "Did you notice anything strange about that room we were in before falling through?"

"Not really…" She replied as she limped slightly.

"Well, it's weird to say, but I think one of the rooms had a barred door on it." Weiss said. "I couldn't be sure though."

"Huh…" Ruby bit her lip as they continued on. "Why'd you think they needed that?"

"Maybe to keep someone in?" Weiss frowned. "This place was filled with criminals. Maybe it was to hold them. But why they needed a glass section for the floor still baffles me."

Zwei then barked. Weiss and Ruby turned to see the dog standing over what appeared to be some sort of voice recorder. Weiss ran over, picking it up and examining it. "I'm not very sure about machines, but I think I might be able to get this working. Maybe we can find out more about whatever this project of theirs is."

"Go for it." Ruby said as she scanned the area. Right now they had appeared at a cross junction. Behind was the way they had come while to the left was just an extension of the corridor with more of the same room they had crashed through. To their right was just a bolted door that didn't look like would budge an inch.

"Stupid machine." Weiss muttered as she fiddled with the switches. Static sounded from the recorder as it flickered to life.

Something 'clinked'. Ruby and Weiss turned to the right, where the source of the noise was. Ruby could have sworn she saw _something_ run by beyond the bolted door.

"What was that?" Ruby asked nervously as she cocked her weapon. She could already get the jitters coming in as she hefted Crescent Rose.

"I don't know." Weiss replied. "But I don't think I want to stick around and find out." Holding the voice recorder in one hand and Myrtenaster in the other, Weiss and Ruby now backed down the hallway behind them. As they walked a few rooms down, Weiss's foot stepped into something wet. Looking down, she had to use all of her might to stifle a scream.

Her right boot was now in a puddle of blood, a puddle that seemed to trail from the dead body in the room on her right. This time, it was that of a human, horribly mauled beyond recognition.

"Oh God…" Ruby gasped. "What could have happened here?"

"I don't know and I don't want to." Weiss replied with a hiss. "Let's keep moving." Ruby nodded in reply, not wanting to waste any more time. As they walked down, Weiss continued working her way with the recorder.

"Dumb thing…" She grumbled, fiddling with the wires again. This time though, her luck won out, and the recorder managed to start playing.

"Entry 65…" Came the muffled voice over the device. Weiss turned the volume down as low as possible, hoping that whatever they were doing was not attracting… _whatever _was down here. "Doctor James Darlin. Project Pacifier has taken a new step. The maintenance agent worked wonders in preventing Grimm dissolution after death by slowing down their metabolic rate. Thanks to the inmates and the recent tests on the creatures' bodies, we now have intricate knowledge behind the monsters' attraction to such dark emotions. Perhaps now we can have a fighting chance, maybe we could use this against them."

"Woah." Ruby blinked. "They managed that?"

"Shush." Weiss said. "It's continuing."

"Entry 78…" Came the muffled voice again. "All measures in _reducing_ the attracting of the Grimm to negative emotions have proved unsuccessful, the loss of Patients #121 and #033 being the most recent failures. It seems something drives the Grimm to actively seek out such emotions, some sort of primal instinct perhaps, something they can identify from humans. It may explain why they do not attack one another. Perhaps that is where the focus should go…"

"They found out how Grimm are attracted to human negativity?" Ruby blinked, even more astounded as she read on. Weiss was now recording the entire playback with her scroll, hoping to catch as much information as possible.

"Entry 93…" Came the voice again. "I have devised a serum capable of forcing Grimm to actively seek out the killing impulses of their kind. A kind of enzyme that re-wires their attraction of negative emotions. Only this time, they won't just seek out humans, they seek out each other. Recent tests have shown that this works well, but the creatures still do not engage in combat. Now, just need to find a remedy."

Static filled the corridor again, only to be interrupted by Zwei's growling. Ruby and Weiss turned to see the Corgi baring his fangs at the door behind. In the silhouette of light beyond, a shadow moved. Weiss and Ruby were trembling now as the recording played once more.

"Entry 110…" Came the voice, only now it sounded more exhausted and terrified. "The drug worked well, too well. The final formulae enhanced their bloodlust, allowing them to kill their own kind. But it also made them more savage. They wouldn't stop seeking out anything just so they could kill it. I should have known it was only a matter of time before one of them escaped… All I can do now, is accept my end…"

Weiss and Ruby's blood ran cold as the hard truth hit. It wasn't the inmates that got out. It was the creatures they were experimenting on. Creatures that were now supercharged into mindless, relentless killing machines…

"We have to warn the others…" Ruby said, choking her words out. As she pulled out her scroll, a loud clamour rang from behind. The both of the turned to see a Beowolf ramming into the barricaded steel door some 500 feet down the hall, wires and various tubes stuck into it. It rammed itself against the door, the hinges shuddering with every hit.

"RUN!" Ruby yelled as Weiss picked up Zwei. The two girls turned and ran just as the door broke apart. The Grimm howled as it charged down the hallway, hungry for blood.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Hi all. Sorry for the late uploads and for keeping the cliffhangers up for too long. I've been recently very inefficient in prioritizing my time to the story, mostly because I want to get on with my progress in Pokemon ORAS and Diablo 3 and due to me being easily distracted by old anime that I seriously like. **

**I am currently building up the ending of this story(It seemed so much clearer in my head a month ago) and hope to finish it by next week. I do have some chapter completed, but I am following a progressive approach into posting the new ones, so I do apologize if I am boring you all.**

**Please review and comment on anything you believe I need to improve in.**

**Jdbl00d**


	8. Relentless

Chapter 7:

"KEEP GOING! DON'T STOP!" Ruby screamed as she and Weiss ran down the hallway with the savage monster behind. Even if Ruby knew they could hold this creature off, the fact was that it wasn't a regular Grimm. This one had been enhanced with God knew whatever the people in this place thought up to become bigger, stronger, faster and more relentless than any Grimm out there. As if to emphasize Ruby's point, they had already barred two steel doors along the way with Weiss's ice Dust and it just went through them as if they were nothing. She didn't dare imagine what it could do to them.

"Ruby…" Weiss gasped as she sprinted down, the Grimm barely a hundred feet behind her. "I don't know how much more I can do this!"

"C'mon Weiss!" Ruby called out, hoping to encourage the heiress. "You've got to keep going!" But still, she knew it was easier said than done. Weiss was starting to look exhausted. Soon enough, the Beowolf would catch her. Ruby tried not to think about what would happen after that. She looked up and saw a turn.

"Hold on Weiss!" Ruby said, grabbing her partner's hand. Seconds later, she activated her Semblance, making a hard left at the turn. Weiss felt the wind rush out of her as Ruby's speed carried them further down.

"Stop you dolt!" Weiss screamed. "You'll open that wound up again!" Already she could see red staining the bandage on Ruby's ankle.

"I'll be fine!" Ruby replied through gritted teeth. They were now getting distance between them and the Beowolf, the Grimm crashing into the wall since it was unable to make the sharp turn. It roared, obviously frustrated at losing its catch.

"Ruby, stop!" Weiss yelled. Blood was dripping out again but Ruby didn't care.

"It's okay…" She called back. "I can still make it…" Unfortunately, even if she tried to take her mind off it, the wound still took its toll on her body. Much to her prediction and horror, Weiss saw Ruby's leg finally give way, crumpling onto the floor and throwing both her and Zwei down onto the floor. Weiss shook off the ache as she looked to her partner. Ruby groaned as she struggled to stand, but it was no use. The wound had re-opened and perhaps gotten worse simultaneously. Weiss could now hear the growls of the Grimm getting closer.

Zwei barked once. Weiss turned to see the Corgi sniffing at a door. Reaching up, Weiss turned the handle, relieved to find that it was still open. Immediately, she rushed over to Ruby, who seemed to still be paralyzed with pain and exhaustion.

"C'mon Ruby!" Weiss grunted as she tried to haul her to her feet. "Get up! Hurry!"

"I'm… I'm trying…" Ruby gasped. The Beowolf was getting closer. Already they could hear its footfalls upon the floor.

"Try harder!" Weiss said as she pulled Ruby up. Zwei immediately growled, forcing her to look up.

The Beowolf now stood in the corridor and let out an ear-splitting roar, triumphant in finally cornering its prey. _Crap, crap, crap, crap!_ Weiss thought fiercely as she half-carried, half-dragged Ruby to the open door. Already, she knew they were too slow. They would take at least five seconds to get to the room. The Grimm would get to them in less than three.

However, as insane as it was, luck had held out so far. Just as the Beowolf was halfway to them, something came and crashed into the bipedal Grimm. Weiss and Ruby turned to see a Creep barrelling down on the Beowolf, using its teeth to tear chunks of flesh from the Beowolf's body. In retaliation, the Beowolf responded with its own biting attacks while striking back with its claws.

"Let's go!" Weiss grunted as she pulled a limping Ruby into the room with Zwei closely behind. Once they were in, Weiss shut the door closed. Looking around, she saw a huge metal cabinet to the left. Getting behind, she pushed with whatever strength she had left, hoping that at least the object would keep the Grimm out. Considering its weight, she reasoned it had to. Once the cabinet was propped against the door, she sat back down, panting as she wiped sweat from her brow.

The door shuddered violently, savage growls coming from the other side. Weiss tensed herself, drawing her sword. It appears the Beowolf had won the fight and now resumed its hunt. Weiss could feel herself shaking as she knew their survival depended on whether the Beowolf could break down the door. The door rattled a few more times before the Beowolf, deciding there would be an easier prey, made the choice to leave.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief as she slumped down onto the floor, breathing heavily due to exhaustion and fear. However, she wasted no time in going over to check on Ruby.

"Damn it…" Ruby moaned as Zwei whimpered beside her. Weiss had to agree. Ruby pretty much tore her leg open and the bleeding was worse now.

"You complete dolt…" Weiss's scolding coming out as nothing more than exhausted sputters. "Why'd you go and do that?"

"Sorry Weiss." Ruby answered with a gasp. "It was either this or becoming dinner…"

Weiss took one look at her partner, who was now tuckered out from a combination of pain and exhaustion. Ruby returned the look with remorseful eyes. Weiss knew that she was putting quite the pressure on herself for this outcome. Ruby was still her team leader and right now, Weiss knew the girl would be reprimanding herself for being an extra burden on her.

"I know." Weiss nodded, smiling slightly. "You did what you could."

"Not much difference if I end up ripping my leg apart." Ruby chided herself as Weiss took out the bandages again.

"Well, it looks like we managed some breathing room." Weiss said as she worked on Ruby's leg once more. "But from now on, I think we focus more on avoiding those things as much as possible. You won't be able to use your Semblance for a while now. And a wound like that is going to deplete your Aura. If that big bad wolf gets us again, I don't think we have much of a choice except to fight or hide."

"Big bad wolf huh?" Ruby repeated Weiss's nickname for the Beowolf that nearly killed them. "He looks like the bigwig around here."

"Agreed." Weiss nodded as she wrapped Ruby's leg in a fresh dressing. "I think most of the blood here is on his hands."

"We've got to warn the others." Ruby said. "We have to let them know what's crawling around here."

* * *

><p>"Man." Yang huffed as she hefted another chair out of the way. "What sort of housekeeping did these guys have? Ruby and I do zilch back at home and it still looks cleaner than this."<p>

"Consider the fact that insane criminals escaped." Blake said. "I'm sure someone would have barricaded out anyone that would want to kill them."

"Well, quite the hassle for us it seems." Yang remarked as she placed her hands on the last obstacle, a very huge filing cabinet.

"Stealth girls. Do remember that." Doctor Oobleck noted. "Too much talking could give away our position."

"To what?" Yang frowned. "This place is abandoned."

Suddenly, Blake's scroll beeped. She reached behind to hold up the device, seeing Ruby's identification on the screen. She pressed the button, holding her ear up to the device.

"Ruby?" Blake answered. "Everything okay?"

"Blake?" Came Ruby's voice. "Thank goodness! We've been trying to call for ages! Agh!"

"Ruby!?" Blake hissed, causing Yang and Doctor Oobleck to turn toward her. "What's wrong?"

"We're fine…" Ruby answered. "But you have to stay on guard. As we thought, there are Grimm running around here. Though they're on a much different level."

"The Grimm?" Blake asked nervously. "What do you mean?"

"Project Pacifier." Ruby continued. "It was some kind of drug that forced the Grimm to seek out the killing instinct of other Grimm and kill them."

"Unfortunately, it supercharged them into relentless murder machines." Came Weiss's voice. "And then apparently, a few got out and are now roaming about the place."

"Grimm?" Doctor Oobleck whispered into Blake's scroll. "You are certain?"

"Considering we just survived a rather persistent Beowolf, I am fairly certain Doctor…" Weiss replied. "And additionally, they are incredibly strong, even for an average Huntsmen. Ruby and I had no choice but to run. And those things can really chase us down."

"Run?" Yang frowned. "You two?"

"So I suggest that you guys avoid them." Weiss said. "Hide if you have to, but don't confront them head on. Ruby and I will be staying put for a bit since she tore her leg up, but we'll try to make it to that storage area soon."

Suddenly, a loud banging was heard on the corridor to the left. The trio turned to see a pair of heavy duty doors some seventy feet down. But it's what appeared on the opposite side of the door that nearly made Blake's heart stop. Two Creeps had now rushed forward to the doors, bashing into them with their heads. Blake didn't need to wonder as to what they were after.

"YANG!" She yelled. "PUSH!"

"I'm pushing!" Yang cried as Doctor Oobleck lent a hand in pushing the cabinet out of the way. The door rattled as the Creeps rammed full force into them. Blake drew Gambol Shroud, unsheathing the blade and holding the sheath in backhand, preparing to fight. Still, if what Weiss said was true, these Grimm would tear her apart instantly.

"Anytime now!" Blake said as the door cracked.

Yang grunted with all her might as the cabinet moved, albeit slowly. "The pressure isn't exactly helpful!"

"And neither are the Grimm who are raring to eat us!" Doctor Oobleck replied. "So less talking, more pushing!"

Blake crouched low, Gambol Shroud shifting to its pistol mode. The door was finally starting to splinter and the Grimm's heads were poking through. Blake took aim, firing rounds at their exposed heads. Even if the bullets connected, Blake was sure all she was doing was pissing them off, for they merely reacted by increasing the level of violence and savagery displayed.

"Blake c'mon!" Yang cried. Blake turned to see the blocked door finally open. Blake rushed in quickly, shutting the door just as the Creeps crashed through.

* * *

><p>"Can you walk?" Weiss asked as Ruby got up. She took a couple of steps, limping slightly.<p>

"I should be able to make a break if I have to." Ruby nodded. Around her, Zwei scampered all over, running to inspect a section of the room. A few sniffs later, he turned and barked, catching Ruby's attention. "What is it boy?" She asked. Zwei responded by putting his front paws on the metal cabinet that lay on its side

"I think there may be something behind this." Weiss said as she inspected the huge object. I can feel a slight draft coming through."

"Then let's move it." Ruby nodded as she placed both palms upon the cabinet. Weiss joined in and they both pushed with all their might. As it turns out, Zwei's nose had triumphed once again, revealing a small crack in the wall, large enough for them all to squeeze through.

"Good dog." Ruby smiled as she patted Zwei. The dog licked her hand delightfully in response to her praise as Weiss moved through the crack, scouting ahead for any possible threats.

"All clear." She whispered back to Ruby. Ruby now carried Zwei through the crack, emerging into a very silent corridor. There were no traces of Grimm being around, at least she hoped. "So, which way?" Weiss asked. Ruby looked in both directions.

"Left." Ruby nodded. Weiss started down the corridor, seeing a door ahead. Just as she approached it, the door shuddered violently.

"RUN!" Weiss screamed, turning tail and heading down the other way at full speed. Ruby held Zwei tightly as she moved as fast as her leg could allow her. She turned to see a trio of Beowolves smash through the door, with Weiss 'Big Bad Wolf' leading them.

_Great…_ Ruby groaned inwardly as the worst of the Grimm had appeared once more. She quickly clambered over a few desks, Weiss blocking the path with ice in order to buy as much time as possible the minute she was clear.

"Door!" Ruby cried out as she spotted the slightly ajar door some few metres down the hall. The two girls hurried along as the Beowolves gained more ground on them from behind. Ruby pushed the door open, stumbling in as Weiss closed it and froze it in the process.

"Is someone down there?" Came a voice. Weiss and Ruby looked around the room, bewildered.

"Hey, you're, you're not one of those _things_ are you? Hang on!"

A small humming was heard. Weiss and Ruby now turned to see a dumbwaiter lift come down. "Quick! Get in if you want to live!" The two of them turned to each other, pondering the same question. Could they trust this person?

The door shuddered violently once more. Putting an end to their contemplation, the two girls got in just as the Grimm broke through.


	9. Spoils of Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

**Hi all. First, I want to sincerely apologise for a mistake I made. Between the Chapters 'Grim Tidings' and 'Creek Lake' was meant to be another chapter. Simply put, I had forgotten to upload it, which I'm certain sprang a whole load of confusion on the story. I have rectified this error just now. For all those who have read this story, I humbly apologise and hope you will forgive me.**

**Still, I do hope you will continue to enjoy this read and that the corrections made will clear any doubts and head-scratching that may have occurred.**

**Sincerely,**

**Jdbl00d**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8:<p>

Weiss and Ruby watched as the lift took them upwards and away from the Grimm. Still, Weiss held Myrtenaster at bay. Even if whoever was here had saved them, she was still distrustful of anyone else that was still here. Besides, Weiss didn't know how she was supposed to trust anyone who stayed in such a forsaken place. At last, the lift came to a stop, with a bearded man standing by the entrance.

"You two, are you alright?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Weiss frowned, still pointing her weapon at him. "As alright as we can be I suppose…"

"Okay." He nodded, frowning at the tip of Weiss's blade. "Um, would you mind putting that away?"

"I'll decide that for myself, thank you very much." Weiss said as she slowly edged her way out of the dumbwaiter, keeping a considerable distance between herself and the man. Ruby and Zwei climbed out next, wary of him.

"How long have you been here?" Ruby asked.

"Close to twenty years." The man replied. "I've managed to survive here since those _things_ took over this place."

"How?" Weiss asked as she sheathed her blade, deciding that he wasn't dangerous.

"I have my ways…" He replied. "Doctor James Darlin by the way."

"Dr Darlin?" Ruby blinked. "The same person from that recording of Project Pacifier?"

"Ah." The man blinked. "So you've heard my greatest accomplishment and mistake have you?"

"We have the gist of it all." Weiss nodded. "So Dr Darlin, where are we?"

"The corporate offices of the asylum." He replied. "Or rather, what's left of it all. But I suppose I can explain that later. You two look exhausted."

"Well, we have been running from a rather nasty Beowolf." Ruby nodded as she set Zwei down on the floor.

"Subject #031." Dr. Darlin replied as he turned, motioning them to follow him. "The first one to be inoculated with the formula for Project Pacifier. I was never more proud that day, until it went horribly wrong."

"Proud?" Weiss hissed. "Doctor, you realize your proud moment came from sacrificing people, don't you? Hundreds, maybe even thousands, used as fodder for those things!"

"I understand your frustration my dear…" He replied. "But please understand…"

"Frustration?" Weiss snarled in outrage. "This is appalling! How could you just do this?"

"We thought we were doing the right thing." He answered back. "We thought we could make life better for everyone. Kill off dangerous criminals and destroy the Grimm. A win-win situation, or so we thought at the time." Weiss folded her hands while Ruby stood by in silence as they took in the doctor's words.

"We were fools to think we could manipulate them." He said with a heavy voice. "Our pride blinded us to the dangers. We thought we could destroy mankind's greatest nightmare, but instead we made it stronger. We couldn't stop them, no one can."

"Whatever." Weiss said. "Anyways, we need to get to the data storage in the basement."

Dr. Darlin turned, eyeing her with a frown. "Why? The basement level is overrun with the monsters."

"A giant Grimm is attacking Vale." Ruby explained. "A Kraken. It is very powerful with incredible regenerative capabilities. Unless we find a way to stop it, Vale could be destroyed. If you know anything, you have to tell us."

"A Kraken eh?" Darlin frowned. "Never heard of something like that before."

"Please doctor." Ruby said. "Is there something you think can help?"

Doctor Darlin appeared to ponder for a moment before he turned to them. "Come with me."

* * *

><p>Blake huffed as she continued to run down the hallway, the Creeps chasing after them as fast as they could. No sooner had they broken down the doors had the Grimm decided to give chase. Even if blocking off other passageways had given them considerable time to increase the distance between them, the Creeps had managed to find their way around and continued the hunt. If anything, Blake was quite impressed with how persistent these things were.<p>

"Up ahead!" Dr Oobleck shouted, gesturing to an open elevator door. Blake looked up, noticing immediately that there was no elevator, just the empty shaft. "I hope we are on the same page girls!" The doctor yelled, continuing to run toward the shaft.

Blake's cat ears perked up as she heard the Creeps get closer. A small plan began to form in her head on how to permanently rid them of these monsters. She just hoped the Grimm weren't smarter than they usually were.

Doctor Oobleck and Yang had now leapt into the shaft, grabbing the elevator cables. Blake however stood her ground, drawing her weapon. "Blake?!" Yang shouted. "What are you doing?"

Blake didn't answer. Instead, she unsheathed her blade, gingerly holding them both in each hand. Soon enough, the Creeps rounded the corner, hissing as they saw her. As Blake had hoped, the Grimm charged full speed toward her. Her timing now had to be crucial. A single second too early and the Grimm wouldn't fall for it. A single second too late and they would get to her. Either way, she'd be dead.

Just as the Creeps were just centimetres from her, Blake activated her Semblance, flipping upwards and hooking her blades into the wall. The Creeps, fooled by her shadow, merely kept going, their momentum propelling them toward the elevator shaft. Blake could now hear the screeching of the Grimm as they fell to their deaths, the clanging and banging of their bodies on the walls of the shaft accompanying them as they did.

Blake heaved a sigh of relief as she got back down. She inched to the edge of the shaft and peered down, her natural night vision barely making out their lifeless bodies at the bottom along with what appeared to be the remains of the elevator itself.

"Nice one Blake." Yang nodded. "You really 'gave them the shaft'! Get it?"

"Yeah." Blake smiled, for once entertaining Yang's wit. "I get it."

"We ought to be in the clear for a while." Doctor Oobleck said. "And considering our position, we should be able to make our way to the basement. Get to climbing girls."

* * *

><p>Ruby and Weiss stalked the silent halls with Dr Darlin, remaining alert to any noises that could possibly be the presence of Grimm. Even if Darlin had stated that the current path they were taking was clear, Weiss wasn't taking chances, keeping her sword drawn at all times.<p>

"There is a small service elevator that can get us to the labs at the basement." He explained. "That is where we stored most of our experimental data and serums. Based on what you've told me about your Kraken, it appears to have a very high level of metabolism. That is how it is able to regenerate so easily."

"Huh." Weiss pursed her lips. "Makes sense. If we can stop that, we can stand a chance to get rid of it once and for all."

"Theoretically." Darlin nodded. "However, if the creature is as big as you say it is, you may need a large dose for it to even work."

"But it appears to be potent." Weiss noted. "If the specimens you experimented on are as old as you say they are, it only means that the serum is capable of working for a long period of time."

"Correct. We called it Compound X." Darlin explained. "It regresses their disintegration greatly through a play on their cellular metabolism. I suppose it could work against your Kraken."

"Anything goes right now it seems." Ruby nodded as she held Zwei, who licked her hand. "Either that or Vale ends up in ruins."

They walked for a few more minutes, constantly staying on guard. More than once, Weiss had caught sight of some Grimm crawling around, oblivious to their presence and focussed instead on attacking each other. They had chanced upon two Beowolves locked in a fight to the death, with the survivor feasting on the remains of the other.

"There." Darlin gestured to a small lift as they rounded a corridor. It was a plain old one that barely offered space and required a security code, but if it meant avoiding those creatures, Weiss wasn't going to complain. She watched Darlin input the numerical code and the lift sprung to life, humming as it slowly descended into the lower levels.

"Quite a lot of security isn't it?" Weiss frowned.

"Well, there is a lot of sensitive information here." Darlin nodded. Weiss merely narrowed her eyes as the lift came to a stop. The doors opened to a world that looked like it had gone through hell. Tables were turned over, equipment like syringes and test tubes were strewn all over, some remaining as just bloodied shards of glass. There were traces of blood adorning the walls and puddles of foul smelling water collected on the floor. In the hallway also lay the body of a dead Beowolf with a nasty gunshot wound through its chest, which Weiss regarded with a grim look.

"Ugh…" Ruby held her nose against the rank air. "This place stinks."

"It got the worst of it when the specimens broke out." Darlin nodded. "We thought that if we could seal this place off, we could have evacuated. But they proved too ferocious. They just smashed through whatever we threw in their path and overran the asylum within a day. Many of my colleagues died in this place, those who didn't went insane."

"Let's just get this over with." Weiss said as she stepped over a puddle of blood. As she approached a turn, she took a peek, noticing the silhouette of a dead Ursa beyond a door. Seeing no movement whatsoever, she signalled for them to move up. Darlin went in first with Ruby closely behind.

"Alright." Darlin said as he gestured to a steel bolted door, which had to be some kind of safe. "We kept most of our formulas in here. Let me just get this door open."

Ruby watched as he went over to a security terminal and worked his way on the keyboard. As he did, Weiss pulled Ruby away.

"What?" Ruby hissed. Weiss merely silenced her with a look, looking to see if Dr Darlin had noticed anything. When she was sure he was still occupied with his task, she began.

"Listen Ruby," She whispered. "I have a very bad feeling about Darlin. Maybe he's been here for twenty years, but as of now I haven't seen any signs of how he has done this. And I have a gut feeling that the longer we stay with him, the greater danger we'll be in."

"But he's been helping us so far." Ruby replied.

"Perhaps." Weiss nodded. "But I can't shake this feeling that he's not all he says he is. Something just doesn't feel right to me."

"It's open." They heard him say. "The compound should be inside here somewhere."

"Thanks." Ruby said as she set Zwei down. "Weiss, keep watch. If anything decides to attack us, you'll be our only line of defence right now."

"Got it." Weiss nodded, keeping her sword at bay. Zwei sat beside her as Ruby combed through the many items in the safe room.

"I must say Dr Darlin," Weiss began. "You've done awfully well for twenty years. How'd you do it?"

"Sometimes my dear, you do what you must…" Weiss turned to ask him another question, only to see him swing a clipboard at her.

* * *

><p><em>If it isn't Creeps, it's Beowolves<em>. Yang thought violently as she once more resumed the routine of running from a pack of savage Grimm. They were noticed the minute they stepped into the basement levels. She turned around, firing a few shots at the Beowolves who merely shrugged them off as if they were nothing.

"The hell?" Yang yelled. "What exactly can stop these things?"

"We have to slow them down!" Blake yelled. "It's the only way!"

"With what?" Yang asked in desperation. "I'm almost out of ammo!"

"Let me try." Oobleck said, his thermos flask now extending into its weapon form. "Find some wreckage I can use!" They continued along, with Yang throwing tables and trolleys that she could find. Oobleck twirled his weapon, setting the obstacles alight. Yang watched as the Grimm knocked the projectiles away, though the flames caught on their fur, setting them alight.

"Nice one doc!" Yang smiled as the Beowolves howled.

"Don't thank me yet!" Oobleck replied. "We still need to permanently shake them!" The trio kept on running, gaining a little more distance between them and the Grimm. As they did, Blake's ears suddenly heard barking in the distance.

"I think I can hear Zwei!" Blake said as she turned to the source of the sound. "Through there!" Blake ran off in the direction of a metallic door, prompting Yang and Oobleck to follow. She pushed it open, allowing all of them to move through before closing it and blocking it off with a huge cupboard just as the Grimm got into view. Blake looked at the first Beowolf, watching it snarl as it realized its catch slipped away. Then her ears perked to the barking again.

"Let go stupid mutt!" Came another voice, one that was unfamiliar.

"Get your hands off my dog you creep!" That was when Blake realized they had reunited with Ruby again.

"RUBY!" Yang wasted no time in running down to the source of the commotion. She turned left down a hallway and uttered a battlecry. Something crunched painfully and a loud 'thud' was heard. Blake and Dr Oobleck followed Yang to a room on the right of the hall. Now they could see Ruby, Yang and Zwei facing a strange old man with Weiss was face flat on the floor.

"Weiss!" Blake cried, running over to her. Checking the unconscious heiress, Blake was relieved to find a pulse.

"Why Doctor Darlin?" Ruby asked as Zwei growled menacingly.

"You ought to know." The man named Darlin replied. "We can't stop them. Nothing can… They are simply too ferocious, too savage to tame or control! They'll kill us all! One day, when we have nothing left, they'll rise up. They drag us to our graves." He stepped forward, holding a small intact syringe in his right hand.

"Doctor, stop!" Ruby demanded. "I don't want to hurt you…"

"Nothing…" Darlin rambled with a barely audible voice. "Nothing… NOTHING!" He raised the syringe, charging at Ruby.

"OH SHUT UP!" Yang yelled, dashing in and giving him an uppercut square in the jaw. He flew up, cracking his head on the ceiling before crashing back down.

"Damn it Yang!" Ruby cried out. "You didn't have to give him a concussion!"

"Not my fault!" Yang retorted. "Dude was going on and on about, whatever. Who is this guy anyway?"

"Doctor James Darlin…" Weiss said as she got up, rubbing her face. "He was one of the researchers here. Pretty knowledgeable it seems till whatever happened to this place drove him insane. He was rather helpful till he smashed a clipboard in my face. My cheek is going to sting for weeks now…" Zwei had now come up to her, nuzzling her with his nose in an attempt to comfort her.

"How'd he survive here for over twenty years?" Blake asked as she looked at the unconscious man.

"No clue." Weiss said. "Though I'd rather not imagine."

"Well, at least you two are okay." Oobleck nodded.

"We owe Zwei for that I suppose." Weiss replied as she patted the dog, who barked gleefully.

"You two managed to find anything?" Blake asked.

"Just a bunch of something they referred to as Compound X." Ruby said. "Supposedly it halts Grimm metabolism at the cellular level."

"Halts metabolism eh?" Oobleck noted, looking thoughtful. "I see. Yes, that would explain how the Grimm corpses aren't degrading. It could be the answer to our Kraken issue. Have you found more?"

"Got everything here doc." Ruby said, showing them the safe containing tubes of the serum, a dark red liquid. "Just hope it'll be enough for our big Kraken friend. Weiss believes it is extremely potent, which is why the corpses have remained this way for this long."

"Well, at least there is a bit of good news." Oobleck nodded as he took out a small bag. "Fill it up, take everything you can find." Ruby nodded, moving at once. In less than half a minute, she had acquired every sample she could find.

"Alright then." Blake nodded. "Let's get out of here. I really don't want to stay."

"Agreed." Weiss nodded. "There is a service elevator we used to come down. It should be sufficient to get to the lobby."

"I'll radio the airship." Oobleck nodded, taking out his scroll. As they turned to leave, Ruby took one look at Darlin.

"Wait, we can't just leave him." Ruby said, walking over to the unconscious scientist.

"You want to bring a mentally unsound guy with us?" Yang frowned. "Sis, that doesn't seem so smart."

"Well, he'll be better off somewhere than here. And maybe bringing him to a hospital could help him get back to what he used to be." Ruby affirmed as she hefted him up. Yang, knowing she wasn't taking no for an answer, merely sighed and went to help. The small team now walked to the lift, where Weiss keyed in the code.

"It'll be a bit for the elevator to get here." She said, looking at the numbers that determined the elevator's level. Suddenly, a loud banging was heard, the source of it being the door Blake and Yang barricaded not too long ago.

"Not now…" Yang groaned.

"C'mon lift, hurry up…" Ruby pleaded nervously as the barricaded door broke slightly, revealing a very large Beowolf.

"Oh great." Weiss hissed. "It's the head honcho…" As if it had realized it was noticed, 'Big Bad Wolf' roared.

"Lift is almost here." Blake said. "Though I doubt it'll be in time."

Ruby turned to Weiss with a knowing look. Weiss smiled, nodding at the same time.

"Ice Flower!" Ruby said, deploying Crescent Rose and stabbing the blade into the ground. Weiss in turn set up an ice glyph. Ruby took aim at the door just as the Grimm broke through, firing as it did. The imbued sniper round exploded on impact, freezing the Grimm in place. Ruby fired a few more, reinforcing the previous shots. The Beowolf roared, angry that it was constantly being stalled.

"Here's the lift!" Blake said as the doors opened. "Let's go!"

Team RWBY along with the rest moved in, squeezing into the tiny elevator compartment. With a push of a button, the lift rose, bringing them all to the safety of the surface. As it did, the Beowolf howled, its anger reverberating through the building that stank of death.


	10. Counter-attack

Chapter 9:

As they left the asylum, Ruby heaved a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn't have to deal with the monsters lurking in Creek Lake anymore. However, she was bothered by something. She turned to the bound and still unconscious form of James Darlin, her gaze dark. Seeming to sense her unease, Zwei came over, nudging her leg, as if meaning to ask what was wrong. Ruby merely smiled and stroked the dog on his neck.

"Well then." Oobleck nodded. "It seems that we have at least forty tubes of the Compound. Hopefully that will be enough for our Kraken friend."

"Doctor, what about the asylum?" Blake asked.

"As much as I'd like to, there is nothing we can currently do about it." He replied with a regretful tone. "The Vale council would likely deny the existence of this place and even worse, Beacon itself will come under strict scrutiny. Do understand that Professor Ozpin also regrets being unable to do anything."

"I knew I should have set of some kind of fire back there." Yang growled. "That place shouldn't be allowed to exist!"

"Personal sentiments aside," Weiss spoke up. "At least we know to never come back, and to discourage anyone else from doing so."

Ruby didn't pay much mind to the conversation, choosing instead to continue to stare at Darlin. Weiss noticed immediately, going over to her side. "Feeling okay?" The heiress asked. Ruby turned to her, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"I dunno." Ruby replied. "I'm just worried for Doctor Darlin. I hope he'll get better."

"He was living in a haunted ruin filled with living nightmares for twenty years." Weiss said. "There's a chance he might not fully recover. But I suppose we can try our best for him. Hopefully he'll get some of his sanity back. But first, we have to deal with our Kraken fried back in Vale. Maybe we can hand him over to the local authorities."

Ruby nodded, her eyes still appearing downcast. "It's just, I'm still thinking about what he said. That we can't stop the Grimm, that we're just fighting for naught and they'll just overwhelm us anyway. I know better than to just give up, but what if all our efforts are going to be in vain one day?"

Weiss frowned as she listened to Ruby ponder on this question. As much as she didn't want to think about this, Weiss couldn't help but wonder as well.

* * *

><p>"Oh God…" Yang gasped as soon as they entered Vale. Blake, Weiss and Ruby leaned out as much as they could to behold the scene before them. They could only stare in shock as the skyline of the city was now covered in black smoke. Fires were raging in buildings close to the docks. Many roads were barricaded and Atlas fighters flew about like flies in a frenzy.<p>

Ruby saw that one of the Atlas military carriers had crashed into a couple of buildings in the centre of the city, most likely having lost altitude and control from the damage to its left wing. She hoped the crew was still alright and that there were no civilian casualties. However, based on what she saw, a part of her was clenched in cold dread.

"This is awful…" Weiss whispered grimly. She turned to the docks, where the sounds of gunfire echoed from. She could now see the writhing form of the Kraken's tentacles launching boulders all over, either in laying siege to the city or in an attempt to destroy the sole remaining Atlas ship. Fighters flew all around it, dropping explosives or firing their weapons at it in an attempt to drive it away.

"Doctor Oobleck!" The pilot called. "I just got a signal from Professor Goodwitch! She is waiting for team RWBY at the forward command centre."

Oobleck nodded. "Take us there. Once team RWBY has stepped off, we will head to Vale hospital and hand Doctor Darlin over. At least, I hope the hospital is still standing."

The pilot acknowledged his instructions, taking the ship to the designated coordinates. As soon as they were close enough, the four girls jumped out of the airship, taking with them their spoils from the asylum. Ruby approached the bespectacled teacher as Oobleck left on his other assignment.

"Welcome back girls." Glynda nodded. "I trust your mission went well." At this, General Ironwood, who was currently in discussion with some of his commanders, cocked his head to the left, appearing to have heard what was just said. Glynda now gestured to Ruby's leg. "Ms. Rose, I trust that wound won't hamper you?"

"I'm still chipper teach." Ruby said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Very well." Glynda replied. "Let me hear your report." At this, team RWBY gave a summarised report on what they have been doing and their findings, leaving out the fact that they had brought a deranged scientist with them.

"I see." Glynda said as they finished. "So you have managed to retrieve a compound that may halt the creature's regenerative capabilities?"

"Yeah." Ruby nodded. "But we'll need to put it into this guy as fast as possible. All of it to be safe."

"We have no idea how much we will need." Weiss added. "It was never meant to be used for something like this."

"As of now, I doubt it matters." Glynda nodded. "Very well. I will inform the General of this and he will come up with the best possible solution." As she walked away, Ruby now caught sight of a familiar group of people.

"Jaune!" She cried, running over to him. The leader of team JNPR looked up, sighing in relief as he spotted them.

"Hi Ruby." Jaune grinned weakly. Ruby now looked and saw how the battles had taken its toll on him. Jaune looked exhausted, roughed up worse than what Cardin would have done to him. His armour was smudged in many sections and his clothes looked like it hadn't been washed in days. A few plasters were wrapped around several of his fingers and his breathing came in huffs

"How're things going?" Blake asked.

"Well," Jaune inhaled deeply. "As you can see, about as well as the last time we faced this guy."

"Yeah." Weiss nodded. "We noticed."

"It's just insane." Jaune gasped. "The Atlas military hits it with everything they've got. We blow apart a tentacle or two, it goes away, and then three hours later it comes back like nothing happened. We've held it off for so long I have no idea how many attacks it has launched on us. Additionally, ammo is running slim. Soon enough, they're going to be shoving Crocea Mors into a cannon."

"Well, we have something that just may to the trick." Ruby said. "We just need to get in close and fire it at him. That's where my baby starts talking." At this, she patted Crescent Rose, slung around her hip. "Actually, I just realised, maybe Pyrrha can help too. Her rifle has good range right?"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded. "I rarely see her miss."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. Jaune, gather whoever you think is free and get Pyrrha here with whatever ammunition she has left. We have to work fast."

* * *

><p><strong>Twenty minutes later:<strong>

Pyrrha loaded her modified syringe bullets into Akoúo̱, cocking the bolt and looking through the scope the minute she was done. Beside her, Ruby was also loading modified calibre rounds into Crescent Rose. "So we can't miss a single one?" Pyrrha asked as she shifted her focus to preparing spare magazines. Ren now came with a few more prepared rounds.

"To be safe, no." Blake said. "We don't know how effective this thing will be. We came back with only approximately 50 kilos. This thing prevented the disintegration of an Ursa for forty years. Hopefully it will prevent the regeneration of the Kraken for a few hours."

"Enough for us to damage it permanently?" Pyrrha frowned.

"Maybe enough to kill it." Yang chimed in as she put another set of rounds on the table. "We seriously should have tried to get rid of this thing for good the last time."

"Agreed." Ruby nodded. "Time to show this thing who is boss."

"It won't be easy." Weiss spoke, laying a few more modified cartridges on the table. "From what I've seen, this creature possesses quite a high level of intelligence. The only way we can approach safely is by airship, and it seems to have covered that area as well. Whatever we do from here on is going to be risky. To be safe, suggest we go out only with adequate cover from the Atlas fighters."

"INCOMING!" Someone cried out. Team RWBY and JNPR ducked as another boulder crashed into a building not too far away. The structure crumbled apart immediately, broken glass and concrete now burying the roads around it.

Ruby looked up at the devastation and cocked her weapon. "We'd better move."

* * *

><p>The airships carrying Ruby and team JNPR now edged in closer to the Kraken. Atlas fighters still zoomed around, dropping bombs, launching rockets and churning out every form of ammunition upon the gigantic Grimm. It didn't take long for Ruby to notice how conservative they were with their shots. With ammunition running low, the pilots had to make every bullet count.<p>

As of now, the Kraken appeared to have taken considerable damage. It seemed to have lost the use of two of its tentacles and blood spurted out of countless wounds on the others. Ruby cocked Crescent Rose, loading the modified rounds into the chamber. Crescent Rose's blade stretched out, forming the unipod stand for stability. In the other airship, Pyrrha readied her rifle, crouching for stability.

"It's wounded already." Pyrrha noted. "If we were to fire at it now, and the serum works as it is intended, we could cripple it for a long while."

"And hopefully kill it." Jaune nodded. "I just hope when we get the chance, we have the bullets we need."

"First things first," Ren replied. "We have to fire the serum into him. Ruby, how's your aim?"

Ruby didn't reply, her focus entirely dedicated to the first shot. At this moment, she could feel the strain on her mind. Without knowing how the serum would work, Ruby knew each shot had to count. Additionally, the airship was currently at quite a distance away to avoid potential dangers. That, and the fact that the Kraken's movements were unpredictable due to the writhing of the tentacles made it all that much harder to get a clean shot.

"Damn it…" Ruby muttered under her breath. "I'd like to get in closer…" She eyed one tentacle that had now stopped to fling another boulder. As quick as her eye could follow, Ruby fired at that specific tentacle. Ren watched, his keen eyes confirming the hit.

"Nice shot." The boy remarked.

"It was lucky." Ruby admitted as the tentacle let the projectile loose. The water now bubbled and the four of them watched as the massive head of the Kraken now rose out of the water. Ruby now remembered the first time she had encountered the monster, which she regarded as one of the most frightening things she had seen. She now stared at the glowing red eye that peeked out of the helmet like carapace. As if it had felt Ruby's shot, its eye turned upward and stared into Ruby's face.

"It's looking at me…" Ruby gulped as she focused on it through her sights. Seeming to have heard her, the Kraken roared, its eye appearing to be fixed at the airship they were on.

"Woah." Jaune blinked as its roar punctured through the air. "It sounds pissed."

"I think it is." Pyrrha nodded as she watched.

"I think it remembers me…" Ruby said. This time, everyone looked at her.

"Are you saying this thing has a grudge on you for what you did last time?" Jaune asked. As if to answer her, the Kraken reacted by throwing a boulder right at their airship. The craft veered away just in time, the action causing the four of them to lose balance.

"I have a feeling it does!" Ruby yelled over the commotion. "And it wants to return the favour it seems!"

"Great." Jaune replied. "So now we have to deal with a Grimm's grudge on you?"

"Well you pretty much wounded it badly the last time." Ren nodded. "It seems it hasn't forgotten that time."

Ruby grimaced as she cocked the bolt again. "Wonderful. Well, at least I can fight this thing again with the added chance of me becoming a snack."

"Apparently it wants to be as how it turned out the last time." Jaune remarked. "With us at a complete disadvantage no matter what we try to do."

"Well, we have a chance to even the odds." Pyrrha commented as she fired off three rounds right at a tentacle that paused to attack them. Ruby nodded in silence at Pyrrha's note, firing more rounds at the monster. Nora now pulled out Magnhild and fired grenades at any boulders that came close, deflecting them however much as she could to minimise the movement of the airship.

Ruby kept up a steady stream of shots, firing as many as she could at the Kraken. Soon enough, they had fired every round they had. The battle had seemed to last forever, though the clamour of explosions and gunfire in the background had drowned out their sense of time. Another squadron of Atlas fighters now flew by, unloading whatever missiles they had on the monster, wounding it substantially. The Kraken roared once more as it sank back into the ocean, retreating for the moment.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief as the chaos was brought to an end for the moment. She turned to see an equally exhausted look on Pyrrha's face as they returned to Vale.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, almost finishing this little read. Will be trying to get out the next chapter up by tomorrow.**

**On a side note, recently Rooster Teeth has announced that Monty Oum, creator of RWBY, has come down with a medical emergency. As of now, all that the community knows is that he is in critical care and it is unknown whether he will recover.**

**The staff of Rooster Teeth has urged everyone to keep him and his family in their thoughts whilst a fundraiser to support his family with medical bills is up on GoFundMe. The following link has the details: ******

**Do keep Monty, his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. And here's to wishing a speedy recovery for him.**

**Jdbl00d**


	11. Turning the Tide

Chapter 10:

Weiss walked back to the airship that just landed as Ruby stepped off. She sat down on a crate, setting Crescent Rose on the ground and slouched over, breathing heavily. "Never thought shooting would be so draining…" She said as Weiss came close.

"That bad huh?" Weiss replied as she sat down next to her partner, patting her back.

"Even worse, this thing remembers me." Ruby groaned. "And it sure as heck wants me dead."

"Really?" Weiss frowned. "Who would have thought it actually remembers you? So it's still angry about the last time we blew a ship on him huh?"

Ruby nodded. "Never thought the next best thing to have a bone to pick with me would be a colossal Grimm. Yay…" Ruby now slumped forward, her chin resting on both hands as she sighed with exhaustion.

Weiss looked at the ground, listening intently to her every word of sarcasm. She knew Ruby well enough to know she wasn't the kind to give in so easily. But she reckoned everyone had a limit where their own inhibitions would get the better of them. With everything they had gone through, she was surprised Ruby still went on strong.

"Look Ruby." Weiss spoke at last. "I know you're still thinking about what Darlin said. This might be stretching it as it is, but I won't let that day come. I'm your partner Ruby, and I'm not going to let you get a downer on yourself ever. I never really thought much about why I wanted to be a Huntress and always told myself it's because I'm a Schnee when what I really wanted was to change the outlook of my family name, but I didn't know how I was going to do that."

Weiss finally put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "You had such a simple reason, but that was what made you the best of us. So you better believe me when I say I am not going to let you forget that. So don't you worry about it, okay?"

Ruby looked into Weiss's eyes as the heiress gave her an encouraging smile. "Thanks Weiss. Really, thanks a lot."

"Alright." Weiss nodded. "With that out of the way, its time you got some rest. We'll need to be ready when it returns. Hopefully, our plan will work."

* * *

><p>As soon as Ruby had drifted off to sleep, no sooner she felt herself waking up once more to the shouting of troops and sirens. She sprang up, deducing that the Kraken was returning. Checking her scroll, she saw that four hours had passed, which seemed to be within the time gap between attacks as mentioned by Jaune. <em>And they had kept this up for a whole day?<em> Ruby gulped as she grabbed Crescent Rose. Truly, everyone had to be at their limits now. She wondered if they even had a chance against this thing.

Atlas fighters now flew about, heading to the water where the Kraken would definitely show up. However, she could see now that significantly fewer had been allowed to take off. It appeared ammunition was starting to run low, and with the Kraken blockading the docks, supply ships weren't going to be able to have a safe route in. Either they finished it off now, or Vale would be nothing but ruins.

She watched as the water bubbled once more, signalling the monster's arrival. As soon as three of the black tentacles rose up, she smiled. The serum they had retrieved seemed to have worked to good effect. She could spot bullet holes in one tentacle from which blood still spurted out. Another was still torn apart and by the looks of it, the others weren't usable. It could still fight back of course, but at least now they had a chance at injuring the creature. She could already see the eagerness in the Atlas fighters, who now seemed to churn out every bullet in a frenetic glee.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out from behind. "Bad news!"

"What?" Ruby replied with shock. How much worse could it get?

"I overheard some of the troops talking with one another." Weiss said. "Apparently, they don't have a lot of heavy weaponry left. Most of the Atlesian Paladins are empty. Even if the Kraken's regeneration has halted, we won't be able to hit it with enough force to kill it!"

Ruby's heart sank. From its position in the water, the Kraken could still bombard them, even with its combat capability decreased. Additionally, she had heard most of Beacon's students were now emptied of all their ammunition as well. Perhaps they could still go close up with melee weapons, but against something that massive, they would be lucky to even deal lasting damage. Was all their work for nothing?

"Even more bad news." Blake said as she and Yang now ran up to the pair. "Even though the Kraken is still wounded, the fighters report that there are still signs of healing going on. It seems this is the only window we have to actually kill it."

"With what?" Weiss snapped. "We are empty! And our fellow students aren't going to get the ammunition they need in time!"

Explosions rocked in the background as the battle started once again. The three girls turned to the docks to see the Kraken now fully rising out of the water, still throwing boulders at anything it could.

"Wait, what is it doing?" Yang frowned as the figure of the Kraken got closer and closer. "Don't tell me, it's trying to get onto land?"

Ruby's mind suddenly processed Yang's latest statement. What if the Kraken knew that the defenders were running out of options? What if it realized that now was the best chance it had at defeating them? Even if it was an aquatic Grimm, did it also have the ability to live on land? And if it did, and if Yang's theory was dead on, then it would mean…

"Is it trying to punch a hole for other Grimm?" Ruby asked. It was a seriously intellectually questionable query, but Ruby knew if anything, not much were known about the Grimm. What if the Kraken was trying to aid other regular Grimm in destroying the city of Vale? She remembered the Goliaths at Mountain Glenn, how they stayed close to the borders of the cities, merely biding their time till they could one day march upon humanity and destroy it once and for all. If the Kraken could mow down Vale's defences, panic and terror would definitely arise through the kingdom, which in turn would become a signal for all the Grimm to converge upon.

It wasn't just their own city anymore, the entire kingdom, perhaps even the whole of Vytal was at stake.

"If it does, nothing but disaster will follow." Blake answered grimly. "There's no choice. We have to stop it here and now."

"How?" Weiss asked again. "It's so big I don't think whatever we do matters! It'll probably just absorb most of our attacks."

"Argh!" Yang roared. "If only we could like, smash its head to a pulp or something!"

Something clicked in Ruby's head. She eyed the Kraken once more, focussing greatly on the bony carapace covering its head. Although she had never thought much about it considering all Grimm sported a mask of some kind, what if that carapace served as a form of protection against the creature's most vulnerable area? It would definitely take a lot, but perhaps Yang's suggestion wasn't very far off?

"Guys." Ruby said over the clamour. "I have a plan."

At once, her whole team looked at her with skeptical eyes. "Okay, before anything else…" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked at Ruby. "How much crazy are we talking about here?"

* * *

><p>"What's the status?" General Ironwood demanded as another boulder smashed into a couple of buildings to his right. The captain of his sole remaining ship answered through a rather disruptive communication line.<p>

"We've run out of most Dust powered warheads and bombs. We've only got a few seconds worth of rounds left for our guns and our fighters are faring no better!" The captain replied hurriedly. "Sir, I don't see how we can keep this up for any longer!"

Ironwood frowned in frustration. Without sufficient supplies due to the blockade by the Grimm, it appeared that his forces were reaching the limit of their fighting capabilities. He could still hold down the fort, but with ammunition running dry, he saw that it was less than a day before he had exhausted all available options.

To his right, Glynda raised her crop, stopping a wayward boulder from landing at their location before sending it back. She stared through her glasses as the Kraken now made its way toward land. She had already notified Professor Ozpin and he had sent many capable Huntsmen and Huntresses to hopefully deal with the solution, but if there was a wall that appeared too hard to climb, this had appeared to be one of them. "James, I think we should get out of here."

The General stared at Glynda, a look of frustration on his face. The might of his forces had succeeded in keeping the creature at bay, but right now, there was little that could be done against its onslaught.

Suddenly, Glynda's scroll beeped. Reaching down, she pulled out the device, frowning as soon as she saw the caller I.D.

"Miss Schnee?" She asked. "What is it?"

"If I may Professor, we have a plan that could possibly work. Order the Atlas forces to lock onto and fire upon these coordinates." Weiss immediately sent the data to Glynda's scroll. She peered through them, surprise registering on her face.

"Ms. Schnee, these coordinates are completely off the creature's location!" She said. "What sort of foolishness is this?"

"Just trust us Professor!" Weiss answered before cutting off.

"Ms. Schnee!?" Glynda tried to squeeze a reason out of her in exasperation, but stopped as she realised she had been cut off. Glynda merely stared at the device, pondering exactly what in the world was going on with team RWBY.

_I'm obviously going to regret this_. She thought to herself. Facing Ironwood, she spoke in a taut voice. "James, relay that message to your forces."

"What?" He stared in surprise. "But Glynda…!"

"I don't approve of this anymore than you do." She nodded. "But if I were to bank on anything, it would be those girls. Please James, have a little faith."

* * *

><p><em>This is crazy<em>. Weiss said the minute she cut the transmission off. When Ruby had told her the plan, every single one of them present had their jaws dropping in utmost shock. The only reasons she actually went along was because they had nothing else to go on and the fact that Ruby's craziness was usually well rewarded. Whether or not there would be any drawbacks was anyone's guess.

Ruby stood in position as Weiss came by. "Just told Professor Goodwitch the plan. Whether or not she intends to go through is up to luck now."

"I'm pretty sure she will." Ruby nodded. "We are after all out of options." Weiss merely huffed in response. _Of all the craziest things, why this?_ She berated her partner in her own mind. Still, even though she was reserved at first, part of Weiss believed in Ruby, though in all truthfulness, a part of that was also hoping things would work out.

Suddenly, from the Atlas airship flying above, Weiss saw the flashes of what had to be rockets being fired. Fighter craft as well had also launched their missiles and other ordnance they possessed. It appeared that Professor Goodwitch had seen it fit to play with the plan. Ruby gulped as soon as she realised the most challenging part was next.

Beacon Academy scrolls were ingenious pieces of technology, allowing for many functions such as calls, wireless transmission of information and even for search and rescue missions. It would have been a simple matter for them to get the coordinates for Ruby's position based on the data her scroll sent. It was these coordinates that Weiss had recently supplied as the target data for Atlas's forces.

She watched now as fifty or so missiles flew in Ruby's direction, locking on at her general position. "Ready?" Weiss said, though she herself could not suppress the intense nervousness welling up inside her.

"As ready as I can be." Ruby nodded, droplets of sweat on her forehead.

"No going back now." Weiss replied as she closed her eyes and concentrated. A yellow glyph shaped like a clock-face now appeared below Ruby, the glyph now spun as the makeshift hands moved, faster and faster and faster, imbuing Ruby with a powerful energy before vanishing.

Ruby felt the power of Weiss's glyph flow through her, energising every atom in her body with incredible energy. She had seen this particular skill in use before. She hoped it would be just enough. As the missiles closed in, Ruby activated her Semblance, feeling every fibre of her body shudder as she took off.

It was all a theoretical hunch really. Weiss had a haste glyph that drastically increased the movement speed of any target she chose, be it herself or another. Ruby as well was able to move at blinding speeds capable of creating small mini-hurricanes in her wake. The combination of both had been something Weiss wondered long and hard about. Exactly what sort of boost would Ruby get, and what kind of force would be exhibited?

Weiss's questions were answered with something akin to a sonic-boom so loud that had she not covered her ears in time, she had no doubt would have gone deaf immediately. As if to be a testament to it, intact windows shattered immediately, debris around was blown away and anyone within a few hundred metres or so covered their ears, rolling on the floor.

At the same time, Weiss felt a powerful lash of wind that toppled her to the ground. Taking so much as a peek, she saw a wrecked truck suddenly get pulled into a few buildings from the force of the powerful gust that a single girl had generated. Had she been standing up, she might have suffered the same fate. She watched as Ruby leapt high upwards, the force of her glyph and Ruby's Semblance combined propelling her through the air like a rocket.

Ruby finally dashed past the warheads heading towards her. Weiss watched incredulously as the very momentum from Ruby pulled every single munition within ten metres in her immediate direction. She was finally reminded of their colossal food fight in the cafeteria some time ago, when Ruby had also used her Semblance to turn a whole array of strewn-about food, cutlery and canned soda into a salvo of doom for team JNPR. Only this time, foodstuffs and plates were replaced with a lethal assortment of Dust weapons.

_Go get him Ruby!_ Weiss thought as she watched her partner shoot off with the force of a rocket. Taking out her Scroll, she called in Blake and Yang.

* * *

><p>"Is that, Ruby Rose?!" Glynda exclaimed as a blur of red was all she saw leaping through the air, followed by practically every missile that the troops had fired.<p>

Ruby grunted against the sheer force of her own speed that was now maximised by Weiss's haste glyph. She didn't even spare a glance behind to check if she had gotten all the weapons. At that speed, it was crazy to do so. _Not that I have a right to say that_. Ruby thought grimly. She kept her eyes peeled at the one thing that was important. Ruby sped into the sea, skipping across the water's surface and finally leaping close onto the Kraken itself, taking the huge tornado of ordnance behind her.

She couldn't see it, but a few had definitely hit the Grimm from the tell-tale explosions and the colossal roar of the gigantic creature. Ruby's speed now carried her further and further into the open waters. Instantly, she banked right, taking the remaining munitions with her. With the Kraken in her sights, she saw the damage her original run had done. A tentacle was completely blown apart whilst part of its mask was cracked. Ruby smiled as she did another run-by, jumping upon the Kraken's huge body with the missiles trailing so closely behind.

Upon the shore, everyone did nothing but watch with their jaws ajar as the red-cloaked girl had become a human homing missile of sorts, her very momentum driving the missiles right at the target's weak spot. It was as unbelievable as it was crazy. One wondered what sort of mind could have conjured up this idea.

But this was her plan. Ruby had figured if they had so few ammunition left, the only best way was to direct all of it at the one spot that appeared to be the Kraken's weakness, namely its head. Now that it had come up into the shallows, its head was completely exposed. All that was left to do was to ensure that every shot more or less struck it. That was where Ruby came in. Using her Semblance in combination with Weiss's haste glyph, she reckoned it would be powerful enough to suck even missiles into the vortex of speed, maybe even direct them to a different target, namely the Kraken.

Of course, that was a very big _maybe_, though she hadn't really thought about that at all till after she streaked toward the Grimm. Even if the Kraken had somehow seen her, at the speed she was going at, it wouldn't have been able to react at all. This was evident in how the next onslaught upon it went unanswered. Since Ruby had also taken the liberty of jumping upon its body, every other missile had now crashed into its head, dealing it severe damage.

Ruby went high into the sky, still under the power of Weiss's haste glyph. Unfortunately, she had already begun to feel the effects of travelling at such speeds. Every bone in her body creaked with agony, and a sharp pain was coming out of her left foot. No doubt the wound had torn open again. She stared down as she fell through the sky, at the huge writhing mass of black below. Already she could see the damage it had sustained, with the mask cracked open to reveal the unprotected black flesh.

_Now guys!_ Ruby called out in her head. In the city, she could see a couple more flashes. The next part of the plan was to utilise whatever ground forces had left to offer, namely the Atlesian Paladins with long range weaponry. The units were at this time being coordinated by her teammates, who now signalled them to fire upon the massive Grimm with everything they had left. With the Kraken dazed and injured, it was completely vulnerable to the artillery shelling from the remaining Atlas forces. Even the fighters were joining in, seeing the chance Ruby had given them. Below her, the Kraken roared in both pain and anguish, like it did before months ago.

Ruby tensed, reaching for Crescent Rose. Pointing the muzzle directly behind her, she pulled the trigger whilst activating her Semblance at the same time. Like a bullet, she sped right towards the Kraken, twisting her body at the same time so that she now spun like a buzz saw.

_It's time to end this!_ With a cry brought about by strain and adrenaline, Ruby felt her scythe now slice right through the Kraken's soft exposed flesh.

* * *

><p>Weiss watched from the shores as Ruby dealt the final blow. With its head completely exposed, Ruby had managed to tear through its soft flesh, her astounding speed providing enough momentum and force to effectively split open the Grimm's head. She suddenly covered her ears as a high pitched screech reverberated through the air. It took her a while to figure out that it was the Kraken's cry.<p>

Five seconds later, the screech died out. Weiss now turned to look at the gigantic Grimm, blood covering its face. Its two remaining tentacles writhed and twitched before slumping back into the water. Light left the Kraken's eyes as if finally gave what could have been a moan.

All who had watched the entire event unfold held their collective breaths, staring at the Grimm's still body, wondering if it was truly all over.

Yang now walked up to the heiress. "Hey, did we do it?"

Weiss didn't answer, still staring at the Kraken's unmoving body. Then, she caught it. A slight haze of black smoke now drifted off the Kraken's head. Soon enough, the same smoke could be seen on the rest of its visible portions.

It was dissolving away. Ruby had done it.

"Yeah…" Weiss nodded stiffly, still unable to believe what had just happened. "I think we did it…"

Silence first for a few seconds. Then, everyone suddenly erupted into cheers as the realization that their struggle had finally ended. Atlas troops now sat down on the ground whilst others patted their comrades' backs. Glynda finally exhaled, dipping her head in exhaustion, but also relief. General Ironwood merely ordered for status reports on his men, but if one looked closely, a hint of relief and satisfaction could be seen.

Team JNPR had also taken to a small bit of celebrating, with Nora hugging Ren tightly that now he started choking. Pyrrha walked up to a keeled over Jaune, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. On team JNPR, Velvet and Fox now slumped onto the floor as they realized the fighting was over. Coco took her shades off to wipe sweat off her brow whilst Yatsuhashi sheathed his blade. Elsewhere in Vale, Sun and Neptune did a fistbump.

Weiss hurriedly took her scroll as Blake and Yang gathered around. "Ruby?" She called, but no response was heard. "RUBY!"


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue:

A week had now passed since the Kraken disaster, but for Ozpin, it felt like his work had not gotten easier. No sooner had the Vale council decided that the immediate threat was over had they pestered him with many calls for assistance in rebuilding the city again, which also hinted at their unwillingness to suspend the Vytal festival. He did understand the importance of such an event, but he also saw the importance of his students' wellbeing.

"As I have said before councillor, I will commit more hands to this effort when my students are adequately rested." Ozpin said to the silhouetted figures on his monitor. "Many students were injured during this catastrophe and I simply cannot allow those who are currently receiving medical attention onto such duties as of yet. Once the Beacon medical staff deem them fit for any out of bed activities will I dispatch them onto these tasks."

The councillors looked at each other for a moment before turning to him again. "Very well Ozpin. We will respect your current decisions. But remember, this does not overlook the matter on the Breach incident."

Ozpin gave a dry smile as the line was cut off. "Now whatever made you think it would?" A beep sounded at the elevator entrance to his office. He didn't have to bother greeting. He knew who the visitors were.

"Glynda, Peter, Bartholomew. Glad that you could make it." Ozpin nodded as he took another sip of coffee. "I understand that you have all been busy, so I apologise for any inconveniences."

"Nonsense sir!" Dr Oobleck spoke first. "I believe such a meeting is necessary. However, to prevent more inconveniences, I assure you my report is compiled and ready to be delivered as _conveniently_ as possible."

"Very well." Ozpin nodded. "Let's just cut to the chase for now. Glynda, how are the repairs in the city coming along?"

"Going rather smoothly sir." Glynda nodded. "Though I imagine the people are still rather nervous about the whole affair."

_Nervous hmm… A rather lax way to put it_. Ozpin thought as Glynda continued. "Still, it seems that with the Atlas forces being resupplied and our available students being able to supply more relief work; that feeling will not last for long. Plus, the fact is that the people were evacuated from the combat zone just in time, so there shouldn't be too much panic."

"I see." Ozpin nodded as he turned to professor Port. "Peter?"

"Yes sir." Nodded Professor Port. "Our injured students are doing well. They are recovering adequately and I believe at least half of them will be out within a day or two."

"Very good. Bartholomew?" Ozpin now turned to the final teacher who had come in.

"Yes sir." Dr Oobleck nodded. "Presently, perimeter defence of the outlying villages is going well. Very few Grimm attacks are present due to the various deployments of the teachers and Vale's very own armed forces. Once our students are able to take over, I'm sure it will be more than a welcome sight. Additionally, the relief effort is going well. We've been able to repair completely the east side of the city."

"Very good." Ozpin nodded. "Now, is there anything else that you all would like to add with regards to our Grimm?"

"Ah yes." Professor Port nodded, clearing his throat as he began. "I examined what was left of the creature's flesh that was left over thanks to the Compound team RWBY retrieved in their mission at Creek Lake. I detected some other chemical that was within the creature's body. Upon close referencing to the remaining data that was retrieved by Dr Oobleck, it appears to be what was left of the so-called 'Project Pacifier'."

Ozpin's frown cut through his face. "Meaning this creature did not come to Vale naturally."

"Exactly sir." Professor Port nodded grimly.

"Who would do such a thing?" Glynda remarked. "Purposefully drive a Grimm to attack? Perhaps the White Fang?"

"I don't believe so." Oobleck shook his head. "I don't think they'd be so reckless as to use such an uncontrollable force for their own ends, though the possibility isn't unlikely."

"As of now, we don't have the answers to these question." Ozpin replied at last. "But at the very least, we should make the effort to stay ready."

"Agreed." The three of them said simultaneously.

"Now, for the final topic." Ozpin said as he took another sip. "How is Ms. Rose?"

"She is recuperating well." Oobleck nodded. "She just regained consciousness this morning."

"Such a reckless individual." Glynda said in exasperation. "She brings on more complications that she is worth sometimes. Moving at that speed for that long? It's a wonder she didn't knock herself out sooner."

"Still, her makeshift plan, if somewhat questionable and reckless, has helped us to avoid a crisis for the kingdom, maybe even the whole of Vytal." Professor Port commented. "I believe she should be rewarded."

"With regards to that…" Oobleck now answered. "She has declined, saying that for now, she'd be better off with peace and quiet."

"I see." Ozpin replied with a wry smile. "See to it that her request is granted. After what she's been through, I suppose she and her team could use the rest."

* * *

><p>Weiss walked through the halls of Beacon carrying a bag of chocolate chip cookies. Once more, the school bustled with activity of students rushing for missions related to the current relief work that had seemed to reset once more.<p>

At the moment, team RWBY was exempt from any relief missions, meaning Weiss had plenty of time to train herself or devote more time to studying. However, most of her free time was spent at the Beacon Academy infirmary.

Once it was over, all three of them had rushed as fast as possible to the docks, intent upon finding her. It took about fifteen minutes before they saw her, floating face up in the water. Yang had taken to jumping into the blood stained water to retrieve her unconscious body into the boat they had managed to acquire. She and Yang had started to panic when she was completely unresponsive to their calls, only relaxing when Blake had confirmed Ruby had a pulse and was breathing.

Since then, she had been in the infirmary, with the three of them popping by every day, with their friends dropping by every once in a while. Weiss couldn't help but feel a tension in her chest as Ruby remained still for the past six days. However, it all changed when the message came that she had woken up.

Weiss held the cookies gingerly. The cafeteria was serving them today, so she figured what better way to ring in Ruby's return than her favourite pastries? Of course, soon enough Ruby would be demanding for them every day she would be confined to bed, which will eventually give her a new set of headaches. But Weiss believed that she'd deal with it when the time came.

Weiss now went through the set of double doors leading to the infirmary that was now packed with students. Right at the end of the whole room was her partner with Yang, Blake, Sun, Neptune and team JNPR gathered around.

Their panic had intensified the minute the medical team had given the run down on her condition. Her left leg was bleeding profusely from the severe wound to her ankle. She was also suffering from what appeared to be myalgia attributed to the intense strain from the threatening speeds she was moving at. Additionally, she had a few fractured ribs that was most likely caused when she hit the water. The only reason she hadn't damaged more than that was due to her strong Aura, though at this juncture, she was running on empty due to the said conditions she was in.

Weiss now came up to her, studying the sight of her team leader in bed. Her left leg was currently in a cast and suspended slightly to stop her from moving too much. Bandages were on her forehead and she could see a few more criss-crossing her torso beneath her shirt. Still, her cheery expression belied the fact that she had to be in an uncomfortable situation.

"I still can't believe you went that fast." Pyrrha noted. "Anyone would have died from that kind of strain."

"Ruby, are you even human?" Jaune frowned, astounded at her incredulous feat.

"Hey, that was mean!" Ruby pouted. "If I wasn't human, I wouldn't be lying here feeling sore all over!"

"If you were human, you'd be dead Ruby." Sun admitted. Ruby moved to comment, but suddenly realized Sun had a point. No ordinary person would have been able to put that much physical pressure on themselves and still walk away from it.

"Alright, alright. No pressure little sis." Yang nodded. "We're all just glad you're fine, and surprised at how super awesome you can be."

Ruby smiled cheerfully once more. "Thanks Yang. I'd like to give you a hug, but my arms aren't exactly listening to me at the moment, along with most of my body."

"At least your mouth is still working fine." Weiss interjected. Her comment made Ruby pout again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed.

Weiss sighed waving the bag of cookies. "It means you can still eat these."

Ruby's eyes darted to the cookies and instantly twinkled. "You got those for me! Aw, thanks!" Ruby suddenly jerked forward, but only so slightly. It took everyone a few seconds to realize she had instinctively moved to reach the cookies, only to be held down by her uncooperative muscles.

"Ehehehhehe…" Ruby chuckled nervously. "Um, help?" Weiss handed Ruby a cookie, which she grasped with her teeth and proceeded to munch on it in delight.

"Anyways, what did the doctor say?" Weiss asked.

"At least 10 days of bed rest." Bake answered. "So that she'd have enough time to recover."

"Aww, Ruby's so lucky!" Nora complained. "She gets to be pampered for ten whole days?"

"Nora, she's suffering from constant aches and pains." Ren replied. "I don't think being pampered is the proper way to put it."

"It's not easier however you say it you know…" Ruby groaned as she finished the cookie, immediately snagging another one from Weiss, her mood instantly reverting back to what it was seconds ago. Truly the power of chocolate chip cookies was terrifying.

"Relax sis." Yang smiled. "It'll be over before you know it."

"On a side note, I do have another update." Weiss continued, clearing her throat. "Professor Ozpin told me that the Kraken showing up in Vale was no coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Blake frowned.

"He says that some sort of serum was injected into the creature to make it go into a rampage. A killing spree of sorts. Vale was just a close enough target." Weiss answered.

"So wait…" Jaune gulped. "Someone sent it here _deliberately_?"

"How?" Pyrrha asked. Weiss thought hard for a moment, recounting the details of the projects they had found in Creek Lake.

"I'm guessing Project Pacifier." Weiss nodded. "That would explain the reason for its uncontrolled attacks."

"No way." Yang gasped. "Someone supercharged that monster just like the rest in Creek Lake?" Already, team JNPR had heard the small details of their separate mission from Weiss, so it came as no shock to them, though Sun and Neptune exchanged confused glances.

"Why?" Blake asked. "Who would have done this?"

No one answered, mostly because nobody had an idea how to answer. More questions were turning up one after another, and it seemed it would take a whole lot of work to find the culprit.

Suddenly, a strange whistle sounded through the air. Everyone looked at one another in confusion as the sound persisted. It was a really strange one that appeared to be accompanied by a long drawn out snort. Even more strange was that no one else seemed to hear it save for everyone crowded around Ruby's bed.

They now turned to see Ruby with her eyes closed as her chest heaved up and down slowly while her snores escaped out of her half open mouth. They stared for a whole five seconds before bursting out into silent giggles.

"Heh." Yang nodded. "Ruby has the right idea for now. I'm bushed…"

"So, bed?" Jaune asked.

"Absolutely." Agreed everyone. As the others filed out, team RWBY stayed on, but for just a little longer. It wasn't five minutes before the Academy doctors would find the four girls all asleep.

* * *

><p>"Rather interesting experiment." Mercury remarked as he looked at the ruined sections of Vale. "Though if may, was there a point in destroying half the city? I feel like we've got more work dumped on us now since the Breach."<p>

"I seemed to have overestimated its capabilities." Cinder replied, fingering the black shirt of her Haven Academy uniform. "Never did I think it'd be a force to be reckoned with. However, I believe it will not be a setback to our current schemes. In fact, it may just help us along the way."

"And the kids?" Emerald asked. "I know the Atlas forces have been planned for, but by the looks of it, those children may be the sole stick in the mud we'll have problems with in future. Especially that Ruby Rose. She appears to be childish, but she might just be the biggest threat to us."

"Just relax." Cinder smile twisted up the corners of her lip. "If anything, we'll stay prepared for them. And if they start causing too much trouble, well, need I say more?"

Emerald and Mercury shot each other a knowing look as they began their usual, undercover routine.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

**Well, that's it. The curtains have closed on this story of team RWBY and our big old friend the Kraken. If I were to say anything, its that it was rather unfortunate I couldn't include more action from the Kraken itself. Unfortunately, if I did, it probably wouldn't have flowed as well, so I do humbly beg for leniency from those who wanted to see more monster action. ****On that note though, I do hope that the addition of Creek Lake was enough for Grimm junkies.**

**It was hard to try and hammer this story out, especially the last bit when it was just our heroes squaring off against what would definitely have been the end of Vale, so for that, I too apologise if there was anything lacking. Do review and offer constructive criticism on what you believe I should improve on. I am still thirsting to write more of this near-armageddon stories and any feedback for improvement is welcome.**

**Still, I do hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have. See you all next time.**

**Jdbl00d**


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